Lost and Found
by sllebswap
Summary: EiRin Post series. Canon-divergent AU. Loss was like this. It was her stricken face, echoing in his mind. Her anguish, spearing through his chest. The memory of her, breaking in his arms. Chapter 254 inspired.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Lost and Found

 **Author:** sllebswap

 **Characters/Pairing:** Kobayashi Rindou and Tsukasa Eishi

 **Type:** Continuous (InComplete)

 **Genre:** Romance/General

 **Word Count:** 2840

 **Rating:** T (Contains content not suitable for children)

 **Disclaimer:** Shokugeki no Souma belongs to Tsukuda-san.

 **Summary:** Loss was like this. It was her stricken face, echoing in his mind. Her anguish, spearing through his chest. The memory of her, breaking in his arms.

 **Verse:** Canon Divergent AU

 **Chapter Last Revised on:** 11/03/18

* * *

 **the one that got away**

* * *

In the aftermath of the Regiment Shokugeki, their friendship was never quite the same.

She had tried her best to get over it, pretending like her life depended on it and reverting back to her usual, upbeat happy-go-lucky self as nonchalantly as if she had not been personally affected, _shaken_ by that series of events, but he knew her better than she thought she could fool him. In fact, a part of him was appalled that she had even tried to put up this façade before him, like he was someone inconsequential to maintain appearances for. They were best friends, were they not? So why was she deliberately shutting him out now?

He _knew_ that she had never quite forgiven herself for losing the last bout for them both, even though he had refused to blame her for it. The truth was that they had been in that battle _together_. The burden of victory…or defeat, had ultimately rested on both of their shoulders…but she had not seen it that way.

In her eyes, her weakness was unforgivable, for she had broken her promise to him. They were supposed to go to the top together, but she had failed him in this most sacrosanct of their vow…just because she had _hesitated_.

It was only by a hair, but in the end, the Rebel team had clinched their hard-earned victory, and a loss…not matter how closely matched they had been to the opponent, was still a loss.

It was an unforgivable sin. She had been inconsolable. He of all people had known how much she had _hurt_ in letting him down, how much she had cried enough for them both that night in the privacy of her hotel room, the stinging burn of her tears soaking through his uniform as she broke down before him, liquid grief searing his flesh like lines of acid.

In the end, she had become what she had always silently feared, a self-fulfilling prophecy come to life. She was the ugly mark that had blackened his pristine records of achievements. She was his mistake.

Even if he did not blame her, she could not forgive herself. Refused to forgive herself for failing him where it mattered the most. Even if it was only once… _but only the best could lay claim to their title because they remained undefeated, was that not so?_

He did not know how to fix the cracks that fractured their once close-knit friendship. In the aftermath of that Shokugeki, the distance between them slowly widened day by day, until it became an empty, impassable chasm that he did not know, could not possibly hope, to cross on his own. Even though she remained faithfully beside him till the end, she might as well be as far away as a remote, unreachable star, and that ever growing void between them made his chest ache with a sharp, phantom pain…but still he would rather have her in his life like that, than not at all.

His best friend was silently falling into pieces…and he could only stand by helplessly and watch her self-destruct. The only thing that he was best at was now hurting her like a knife coring deeper into her raw wounds…and he did not know how else to reach her, to soothe her agony and nurse her pain and hold onto her even as he could feel her slowly slipping from his grasp more and more. The thing that had drawn them together in the first place, was now pushing her away…and he did not know what else to do to keep her anymore.

He had never been good at dealing with people – that had been her thing. He was clumsy, he was selfish, he only knew how to take and take and take and she had always been there through it all.

And then, it was too late for him to do anything anymore.

 _Could have, should have, would have._

 _Too little, too late._

After graduation, she disappeared abruptly. One day, they were receiving their diplomas for surviving the harsh, unforgiving crucible of Tootsuki, and the next, she was… _gone._

Just gone.

She had always been good at leaving, but in the past, he was reassured by the implicit understanding that no matter what, she would unfailingly find her way back to him.

This time around, there was no longer any such promise binding them together.

There was no way to call her back from wherever she had flown, no way to tug on that invisible red thread that had always existed between them and demand she return to his side where she had always belonged.

For the very first time, he learned that when she walked, she walked cold.

No goodbyes. No turning back. _She was just no longer there_. He had tried to find her, but she had disappeared so immaculately from the face of his world, his frantic efforts were ultimately fruitless. She had contacts beyond his own, far outreaching that of the culinary world where he reigned supreme…and it had taken him awhile to figure out that she did not want to be found by him.

He had panicked. He was stunned. He did not want to believe that she could just do that to him, to them. _Was it that easy for her? Leaving like that?_

He was devastated.

…And then, it was only when grim acceptance had started to sink in, when the realization that she was missing from his life for good, that he had slowly come to understand an important truth in the gaping hole she had left behind in her departure. There was no point denying it anymore.

He loved her- _No._

He was in love with her. _Still_ in love with her.

His best friend. Why hadn't he reached out more when she was still beside him? Why hadn't he noticed how hard she had been struggling with herself just to stay with him? Her lingering fears, her persisting self-doubts, why had he deliberately turned a blind eye to that which had been silently eating at her all along?

He had taken for granted that she would always be there at his back. Why did it had to take her leaving for him to see too late what had been sitting in front of him the entire while?

If he could turn back time, he would do it all differently, he resolved.

But he could not.

Hindsight was 20/20, and loss tasted like cold ashes in his mouth.

* * *

 _Her golden eyes had glowed softly as they met his own. The way she looked at him wonderingly was a picture seared into his brain. He didn't think that he could forget even if he wanted to; he didn't. He could not help the flitting thought that passed his mind at that moment; she was beautiful._

 _ **[ Did he love her because she was beautiful? Or was she beautiful because he had always loved her? ]**_

 _She bit her lip, an uncertain expression sitting on her face. He wanted to reach out, cup her face with his hands, fingers smoothing out the frown that sat on her brow._

" _You're gonna be so amazing," she had whispered, and there was a jarring wistfulness in her melancholic tone that made alarm bells ring in his head._

 _But then she leaned in, softly brushed her lips against his jaw, and all coherent thoughts fled. He forgot to breathe, let alone muster words. The ghost of that kiss would haunt him for years to come._

 _She slowly pulled back, her lashes lowering, regret twisting her lovely features into a mask of aching sorrow. It hurt him too, for some reason, seeing her in pain._

 _He did not understand why._

" _ **I'm so sorry, Tsukasa."**_

* * *

Five years down the road, he was one of the best and the brightest in Japan's culinary scene.

His meteoric rise to fame made him the youngest chef in history to earn the coveted Michelin stars for his restaurant in one of the shortest time to date, and his name was known far and wide throughout the cooking realm. He stood at the top of the pinnacle, head and shoulders above practically everyone else.

He was also constantly exhausted. He was wrung out and stressed and he was burning out, fast. Still, he would rather go down in flames like a falling star streaking across the indigo twilight, combusting with all that he had than slowly fading away.

 _What else was there left, anyway?_

"You look like shit, Tsukassan. I didn't think you could look any worse, but you keep proving me wrong," Kuga had commented bluntly as he wandered insolently into his senpai's place. The younger male was prone to visiting every once in a while…whether Eishi wanted it or not. At first, he had done so to be annoying, but over the years, it had become something of a routine between the two of them, and there was even the faintest note of concern in the ex-Ninth Seat's voice, though neither would ever acknowledge its existence.

Eishi narrowed his eyes at the young man currently, shamelessly, making himself at home in his living room. The punk had tracked his shoes all over his immaculate, pristine floors. He had even lifted his foot and had planted them on his expensive coffee table like a thug. That was it; he was calling the cleaners in right after this visit to fumigate the entire place and then sending the bill for the decontamination service to Kuga.

"…Thanks for barging here and insulting me," he muttered back dully, utterly unimpressed.

There was something off about his senpai's home, Terunori could not help but think not for the first time. It was cold, minimal, too sterile. _Colorless_. Very much like the owner himself. It didn't used to be like that. There was once when Kuga was very much jealous of Tsukasa Eishi's prodigious talent and brilliance. Now, the white haired man was still one of the most ridiculously gifted chefs he had ever known, but it wasn't raging jealousy and envy that moved Kuga anymore when he looked upon the drawn, distant features of one Tsukasa Eishi.

The man might be something close to god-like in the culinary world, but in reality, his personal life was pretty much an unorganized, hopeless mess. As a favor to another of his senpai, he felt obligated to intercede every now and then.

"You're most welcome. Anyway, I'm here today to hand you this." _This_ was an envelope tossed carelessly on the table, a pretty, pale pastel thing with his name stylistically stenciled on the front. It was a wedding invitation.

Eishi frowned at the elegant invite, visibly perplexed by its presence. Kuga proceeded to explain.

"Yukihira-chin and Erina-chan are gettin' hitched. _Finally_."

 _Oh_.

"…Why am I being invited?" he asked blankly. They were acquaintances at most, fellow Tootsuki alumnus and maybe colleagues working in the same field. While a distant part of him did appreciate being included in this moment of that couple's happiness, there was something about happy, loving pairs that made him want to look away, something like bitterness twisting up his insides.

Kuga raised his brow at Tsukassan's weird question. This guy was really strange.

"Why not?" he retorted, boredly. "You should go. S'not like you have anything better to do, and you need to get out more anyway. You're turning into one of those eccentric, asocial French chefs and I would _hate_ for you to be infamous for all the wrong reasons, Tsukassan."

"That's it; get out of my house."

The cheeky, cat-like male smirked unrepentantly on his way out. It was an achievement of sorts, to annoy Tsukasa Eishi. Though in truth, it wasn't difficult to aggravate the man these days, and it was _almost_ enough to make Kuga feel pity for his perpetually miserable genius of a senpai.

Almost, but not quite.

* * *

Even after all this time, there was something about the color red that never failed to draw his attention.

Just the flitting hint of sable crimson flashing across the edge of his peripheral vision was enough to turn his head, his eyes automatically following and tracking the source. Never mind that he knew that he would be met with disappointment at the end, but still, he could not help his automatic reaction all the same.

Once again, reality fell short of his expectations. Yukihira was a redhead too, but he wasn't the one he was hoping to find. Which was really stupid, since this was the younger man's big day, after all.

Against his better judgment, Eishi had found himself attending the wedding dinner. Though it was more like a wedding weekend at this rate, with how the affluent Nakiri clan was determined to make this marital celebration the most talked about social coup of the year. It was being held in Tootsuki Resort, and the guest list was so extensive that it could be mistaken for a convention at this point, with all the big names in the culinary world in attendance to witness this exclusive union between Yukihira Souma and Nakiri Erina.

Socializing was stressful as always and he silently resented every moment of it, but even he knew that it was a necessary evil and there was no avoiding it. Entire empires could be made or felled during events like this; he was well aware. He went up to the glowing newlyweds and gave them his obligatory well wishes for their happiness, and then got dragged into conversation by a few well-meaning but completely clueless members of the social elite who had promptly expressed interest in his next restaurant project. He unenthusiastically entertained them even while bitterly pondering not for the first time if this sort of thing was what he had spent all those years chasing perfection for-

And then, that was when he saw _her_.

The banner of rippling red silk was so hauntingly familiar, and that flash of cat slit golden eyes, gone as quickly as he had seen them-

He had stood up so swiftly then he nearly sent his chair toppling backwards to the ground. A distracted excuse fell out of his mouth as he halfheartedly apologized for interrupting his conversation partners, but his attention was no longer on them. _No_. His eyes were utterly fixated in the distance, the usually impassive, dull gaze suddenly flaring with sharp, intent focus. He felt clumsy as he instinctively turned and started to move towards where he had last seen that feminine figure, his heart starting to pound in his chest with a strange fluttery sensation that almost felt like hope, feeling so inept and ungainly as he headed as quickly for the doorway as he could possibly go, long, strong legs eating up the distance almost urgently-

 _Could it be? Were his eyes deceiving him?_

He was probably setting himself up for disappointment again, the eternally pessimistic side of him bemoaned, but yet, that hope stubbornly persisted. It was a strange conundrum for someone like him. He would keep stabbing himself over and over again with this sharp blade of helpless yearning whenever _she_ was concerned.

He felt like an idiot when he rushed out to the ballroom foyer only to find it mostly deserted safe for a few lingering stragglers, but it was nothing compared to the wave of desolate disillusionment that crashed over him. He was seeing things again. Was he becoming so miserable that his mind was resorting to conjuring images to console himself, to try to fix the broken, jagged part of him that had never really healed after all these years?

He closed his eyes, a bone deep exhaustion threatening to overwhelm him at that moment. What the hell was wrong with him-

"…Hey. Are you okay?"

The voice that sounded behind him was so achingly close, so hauntingly familiar, his chest squeezed in _pain_ at the low, husky lilt. _Okay? Was he okay? No, he was_ _ **not**_ _okay. If this was another false alarm-_

Still, his eyes flew open, and he whirled around so quickly he startled the woman standing there.

 _And then, there she was._

It was a sight that he had not seen in years. He could not speak, just as he could not stop _staring_ at her. The years had been good to her. She was blindingly beautiful, so much more so than he had last remembered. It was almost enough to make him lightheaded, breathless. He had not understood what that reaction meant years ago.

He did now, _acutely_.

Rindou clasped her hands before her, trying her best to school her features, concealing the apprehension and nervousness that nagged at her.

Their eyes met. Just like that, she felt like she had just touched a live wire, and it took everything she had not to take a step back.

It took everything he had not to surge forward, reach out and ascertain for himself that she was _real_.

"… _Rindou_ ," he breathed.

Her golden eyed gaze softened.

"Hello, Tsukasa."

* * *

 _::owari::_

* * *

 **Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:**

Just read Chapter 254 of SnS, got inspired, and my overdramatic EiRin!fangirl self was in the mood for something ouchy, so this was the result. Also thought that I wanted to explore a scenario where these two actually grew and matured apart from each other under very extreme circumstances, a what-if character study of how they would have developed into adulthood if forced to do away with their other halves.

Now I'm also kinda wondering how these two would have developed if they had never met each other in the first place, all those many years ago… _hm_.

…Anyway, lemme know what you think of this AU! Good, no good? Like, dislike?

Danke!

 **xXxXxXxXxX**

Your reviews make me update faster; so please leave a comment if you like this fic!

-sllebswap


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** Lost and Found

 **Author:** sllebswap

 **Characters/Pairing:** Kobayashi Rindou and Tsukasa Eishi

 **Type:** Continuous (InComplete)

 **Genre:** Romance/General

 **Word Count:** 3055

 **Rating:** T (Contains content not suitable for children)

 **Disclaimer:** Shokugeki no Souma belongs to Tsukuda-san.

 **Summary:** Loss was like this. It was her stricken face, echoing in his mind. Her anguish, spearing through his chest. The memory of her, breaking in his arms.

 **Verse:** Canon Divergent AU

 **Chapter Last Revised on:** 13/03/18

* * *

 **this love**

* * *

It was turning out to be an awkward reunion.

There wasn't even supposed to be one since the rousing wedding celebration of one Yukihira Souma and his new bride Nakiri Erina was still underway, and Rindou had pointed that out but Eishi would not hear any of it. If anything, the man _– and he had become a man now, hadn't he?_ – had been quite insistent on getting his way once he had snapped out of his initial stupor just staring at her like she was some alien lifeform that had suddenly dropped in front of him…or at least that was the way she had chosen to interpret that stupefied expression on his face.

Rindou could not fault Eishi for his reaction. She had reappeared before him so suddenly after all these years of radio silence, she was sure that he must have been quite stunned by it all. She was surprised that he was still willing to accept her presence, and had not just simply turned around and walked away, no longer wanting anything to do with her.

Unlike him, a part of her had mentally prepared for their paths to eventually cross from the moment she decided to return to Japan…she just had not anticipated a chance meeting to occur this quickly. _Was the world that encompassed them both really that small, or was something else at work here, altogether?_

That whimsical thought was neither here nor there. It wasn't as if she was trying to avoid him. She was truly happy to see him again, really. It had taken a while for her to get to this point where she was finally at peace with their tangled past, and Rindou was honestly delighted that the sight and proximity of him no longer sent spears of remorse and self-loathing lancing through her.

After all this time apart, she could finally face him again without saddling him with the burden of her guilt.

After all this time apart, she could finally apologize properly to him because she now truly meant every bit of it, and not just because she had been so driven by desperation to earn his forgiveness in order to feel better about herself, to selfishly assuage her own misery at his expense. She had remembered being so afraid and self-disgusted, the kind of hypocritical insincerity that had slipped through her mind during that dark period of time-

And even with that, Tsukasa would have forgiven her for sure. _She was his best friend_. No matter what she had done to him, he definitely would have forgiven her – she _knew_. He had always been soft towards her, and at that moment when it had mattered the most, she had been almost ready to take advantage of his nature. It would have been all too _easy_.

Those casually insidious thoughts had horrified her. She had been crippled by _fear_ and _shame_. If she had given in to them, then she would never be able to look him in the eye again. He deserved so much more than that sort of duplicitous halfheartedness, this blindingly bright boy who only knew how to look straight ahead and give his all to achieve his dreams. She had always been determined to meet his conviction with all of her own, or it would have been no good at all. She would have been no good at all for him, definitely not good enough to even stand by his side. _And then he would become even more disappointed in her, wouldn't he?_

She couldn't bear that…but _yet_ , she had also lost her courage, unable to move forward, locked in self-doubts.

She, who had always made her own path, had lost her way.

She…did not know how to find the road back home to him anymore. Not back then, she couldn't.

And she knew, that she was also hurting him. That understanding had been the most unbearable. The idea that she had been a mistake, that their friendship had been a mistake, had weighed down on her even more on top of everything else. Maybe he would have gone further, maybe he could have flown higher, if their paths hadn't crossed all those years ago. She was dragging him down, and more than anything, she hated herself even more for stifling his _light_. How much more selfish could she get?

She had only ever wanted to soar beside him, but if that wish was only taking away his potential, then there was only one other thing left to do, _right_?

So leaving was _hard_. Leaving was painful, and she was very sure that by cutting herself loose, she had abandoned some crucial part of herself with him that left her a raw and bloody stump and that which would never grow back properly again. But it was all worth it, in the end. She had been surreptitiously following the progression of his career all of this time, for even though she was no longer able to cheer for him by his side, she was still more than willing and able to do so remotely in spirit, and she had never been more proud and happy for him that he had been doing so well even in her absence.

 _Ah_ , he hadn't really needed her after all…but she had always known that.

And then, after a while later, she eventually realized that the reverse was true also.

She hadn't really needed him to survive either.

And so time marched on.

And so their lives diverged.

In hindsight, however, there was one thing that she had gotten wrong when it came to this disaster that was them.

 _Surviving_ was one thing.

 _Living_ , well- now that was something else altogether.

* * *

He had been watching her with the intensity of a hawk ever since he managed to spirt her away from the extensive ballrooms and slip them both into one of the quieter restaurants on the upper floors. He had no qualms pulling rank to get an isolated dining room and the maître d' had practically fallen all over himself to fulfil the demand of the celebrated celebrity chef – this reunion with her was too intensely private to be put on display for the other casually curious diners all around them…and he had also instinctively wanted to control as many variables as he possibly could from the get go. Things had a way of spiraling out of his expectations whenever she was concerned…and he was determined to be the one holding onto all the aces this time around.

This time around, he wasn't going to let her run circles around him.

This time around, he would do whatever it took to catch hold of her before she took flight again.

Rindou was faintly disconcerted by his deliberating silence. They had placed their orders with the wait staff and the in-house sommelier had also already excused himself after pouring them the vintage wine that Tsukasa had decided on, and she was fast running out of things to fidget with if he wasn't intending to speak up anytime soon. She took another sip of the fragrant Merlot and then set the glass flute back down. She sighed softly, then finally raised her gaze to meet his once more.

It was a struggle not to flinch in surprise beneath the sheer sharpness of his gaze. Had his eyes always been this _piercing_? Had he always stared after her like this? She used to remember differently; how those lavender hues were typically distant and far away as he immersed himself in the pursuit of perfecting his cooking. There were many times when she was sure that he hadn't even registered her presence at all, so lost was he in his brilliance. Was it maturity that had made him change now? A vague sadness briefly overcame her – there was much that she no longer knew about him, this man whom she once called her best friend.

At any rate, she didn't think that he was thinking of cooking at the moment. "…Tsukasa," she started again, and he tensed imperceptibly at the sound of his name molded by her lips. "What are we doing here?"

She ran her fingers through her hair, and his eyes silently followed the movement, momentarily distracted by the gleaming sheen of the long, crimson strands, the quick deftness of those slender, feminine digits. Then, his gaze settled on hers again and she lifted her brow at him.

He ignored her question though, in favor of asking one of his own.

"Are you back for good?"

There was something about the low, rich timbre of his voice that sent ripples of acute awareness arcing straight down her spine. She was, once again, briefly disconcerted by her own reaction towards him. She blithely concealed it.

Rindou folded her arms on the table and lifted her shoulder in a nonchalant shrug. "Who knows?" she drawled. "I go wherever the wind blows."

It was only by chance that she had ran into Yukihira a couple of months back, in Sri Lanka. The other redhead had been in the company of another of his fellow Tootsuki year mate, Hayama Akira, and they had been exploring the local spice market and cuisine for culinary inspiration. Yukihira had remembered her fondly, and when he mentioned that he and Erina-chan were getting married, Rindou as a good senpai had felt obligated to attend her kouhai's marital ceremony and share in the couple's happiness. Furthermore, it had been a long time since she last stepped foot in Japan. In what seemed like the blink of an eye, it had already been five years since she left this land, and she had never looked back.

Returning now had evoked all sorts of bittersweet sentiments and nostalgic memories.

She looked at Tsukasa.

After all, this was once _home_.

"…Maybe I'll hang around for a month or two before I head out again," she divulged, and for the life of her, she could not figure why he was almost glowering at her then.

 _Unacceptable_. He had just found her again after all these years and already she was making plans to waltz right out of his life again? He had so many things to ask her and he was just struggling to keep the flood of questions in; _where have you been all this time, why did you leave without a word, had you even spared a thought for what you've done to me-_

But he swallowed them down with considerable difficulty, because even in his head they sounded like the bitter accusations of a jilted lover, and he had no idea what to feel about the irrational surge of displeasure and anger that threatened to overtake him. Funny; he had never thought that he would ever feel like this when it came to her…but now that she was back and sitting larger than life before him, a part of him was quietly astounded to understand that he did indeed harbor _resentment_ towards her for the mess she had just up and left him all those years back. There hadn't been any proper closure since then, and even though he was getting too good at repressing himself at this point, as always before her, his cold, distant façade was slipping quickly and all those turbulent emotions associated with her, good or bad, were relentlessly crashing down upon him like tidal waves.

He really _hated_ how she could so easily make him lose control of himself…and of course, she did not even know it.

* * *

Her cheeks were flushed with pleasure, her golden eyes glowing with simple happiness, her lips rosy as she licked sauce from her full, pouty flesh with a dainty, catlike tongue. She was thoroughly enjoying her meal, happily digging into the main course with gusto. Food was the one thing in life that she would never take issue with, and it was just as well that the courses had started arriving one after the other not too long ago. On one hand, Rindou had been getting quite famished…and on the other hand, eating saved her from talking…something which Tsukasa was unusually determined to get to. Did he used to be so pushy in the past? She seemed to recall that he could certainly be unflinchingly insistent when it came to the matter of his cooking…but she had never before seen him so committed to pursue conversation before.

Then again, he probably had a lot of… _questions_ …for her…

Rindou was aware that there was no point trying to delay the inevitable. Hadn't she come back here with the intention to set things right again? Dragging her feet, hemming and hawing wasn't going to get any of that done at this rate.

While the redhead was mulling over her thoughts, Eishi was silently scowling down at his plate. The dinner service was good, but it was not _that_ good, so what was with that overly enraptured expression sitting on her face? He could easily produce something exponentially superior blindfolded and with one hand tied behind his back-

The white-haired man broke out of his thoughts the moment he realized how ridiculously immature he was being…but that still did not change the fact that they were true. He was silently burning with jealousy that some nameless chef could hold her favor and attention so easily, and he was possessed by the strongest compulsion to drag her to his restaurant to cook for her in turn, exhaust all of his skills and knowledge to the very limit just so that he could show off how _immaculately_ _perfect_ he had become in her absence, confront her with the excruciating regret of how much she had missed in the years that she had been _gone_.

But most of all, he just wanted her _back_.

Even back when they were still very young, she had always understood him in ways he did not even understand himself, and she had always offered a comforting, endlessly supporting presence that he had gotten so used to that when she had suddenly disappeared, he had found himself lost and bereft.

She had always been so _warm_ , and when she had left, she had taken it all with her and he was abruptly abandoned in the unforgiving cold. He had been catatonic from the loss for a while. How do you even begin to function like normal again when all the important parts of you had been taken away? How do you even learn how to be _human_ again when everything that made you soft and tender and loving had been ripped out of you?

Easy. You pretend.

You wake up every morning and stuff your head full with instructions of everything you need to do to get through the day so that you no longer have to think of anything else. You… _exist_.

…Then you repeat the motions all over again and again and again until it has been weeks, months, years, and that gaping _hole_ inside of you becomes something familiar to tolerate and you can reasonably pretend that the world around you has always been this dull and muted and empty.

 _Cruel_.

She was so cruel.

And worse of all, she could do it all to him in such an offhanded, unintentional way and he _still_ wanted her back.

His jaw clenched silently as once again, that wave of _anger_ swept over him. Even more aggravating was, he couldn't even tell who he was angry more at; her or himself. He made himself pick up his dinner knife and fork and resumed the mechanical motions of eating. The food connoisseur in him automatically processed the harmonious blend of flavors and textures spreading over his tongue, his refined palate so impeccably well trained that he could identify each and every one of the individual ingredients that had gone into the making of this meal before him, granting him a near omniscient understanding of precisely everything that had been done behind the scenes in the kitchens to achieve this high level of culinary standard.

Of course there was passing acknowledgement for the unknown chef who had successfully pulled off the delicate construction of this complex dish.

It was just that Eishi was an even _better_ one, was all.

* * *

Rindou had come to Tootsuki Resort for the main purpose of celebrating her kouhai's marital bliss. She had not entirely expected to run into Tsukasa so soon and she most especially had no idea what was going on now that he had most doggedly latched onto her and did not seem inclined to let up on that overpowering intensity of his whatsoever.

He might as well be a complete stranger to her at this point, and she was struggling hard to figure out if that boy she had left behind all those years ago still existed behind that impossibly still, icy veneer of the beautiful man he had become.

What she had discovered so far did not appear very promising _. What on earth had happened to you?_ She wondered bewilderedly.

But she could not seem to open her mouth to ask about this elephant in the room, and he was being about as helpful and as forthcoming as a statue of marble and alabaster.

Halfway through dessert, the piercing whistle and boom of a myriad of fireworks lit up the night skies above Tootsuki Resorts. They were sparing no expenses to commemorate the revelry for this very special evening.

Not for the reunion of these two ex-Elites, of course. But for the happiness of the pair of very special newlyweds who had finally tied the knot, brave enough to take the plunge and mutually promise to face the rest of their lives together, till death do them apart.

Rindou turned her head and gazed out the floor to ceiling windows of the dining room, wordlessly admiring the all-encompassing brilliance of the _hanabi_ , unfurling in abundance and blossoming in turns with bold, poetic cadence. They were so blinding she could still see their bright, starburst afterimages imprinted on the back of her eyelids even when she closed her eyes, almost enough to _hurt_ her with their unforgettably captivating beauty. They were all she could see. She could not ignore them, could not look away, even if she wanted to.

 _Eishi_ , she could not help but muse, was just like that too.

* * *

 _::owari::_

* * *

 **Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:**

Just occurred to me that an alternative title for this series could have been 'Two morons, in love.' These two are so exasperating they make me want to break the fourth wall and scream at them…which makes no sense whatsoever because this fic is written by me which means their characters are influenced by me and I'd be screaming at myself in the end- _huh_?

Moral of the story: Don't become a fanfic writer, kiddos. You end up mumbling to yourself in public a lot and then you just grow up with your head screwed on all weird. Well, _weirder_.

 **xXxXxXxXxX**

Anyway, for those who are curious about Eishi's colder, angrier personality in this fic…remember how Azami recently mentioned that Eishi reminded him of himself? I think there were also quite a few of us in the fandom who had remarked on the resemblance between the two in passing before…which really got me thinking/plotting. So yep, this fic will feature a more Azami-like Eishi…or in my opinion, the Azami-influenced!Eishi that would have ultimately resulted if there had been no Rindou around in canon to temper his edges. Poor guy is so miserable though, and seething with all sorts of repressed emotions (and UST, _lol_ ). I don't know whether to feel sorry for him or laugh at his awkwardly clueless predicament because I doubt Rindou has better idea of what's actually going on.

 **xXxXxXxXxX**

I'm beginning to feel like 'Lost and Found' will be the duality of 'Peerless.' If 'Peerless' demonstrates the strength of soulmates when everything goes well, then 'Lost and Found' will probably reflect how devastating the power of such a bond can be when everything goes badly. Drama – don't we just love to live for it? XD

 **xXxXxXxXxX**

Your reviews make me update faster; so please leave a comment if you like this fic!

-sllebswap


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** Lost and Found

 **Author:** sllebswap

 **Characters/Pairing:** Kobayashi Rindou and Tsukasa Eishi

 **Type:** Continuous (InComplete)

 **Genre:** Romance/General

 **Word Count:** 3345

 **Rating:** T (Contains content not suitable for children)

 **Disclaimer:** Shokugeki no Souma belongs to Tsukuda-san.

 **Summary:** Loss was like this. It was her stricken face, echoing in his mind. Her anguish, spearing through his chest. The memory of her, breaking in his arms.

 **Verse:** Canon Divergent AU

 **Chapter Last Revised on:** 23/03/18

* * *

 **drops of jupiter**

* * *

"Listen, the secret to becoming a great chef is... meeting a woman that will make you want to give all the food you make to her. Look at my idiot son – finally did the sensible thing and married her, too! _Hah_! She will keep him in line for sure!"

Eishi had no idea what happened that he was now in the dubious company of one semi-inebriated Yukihira Joichiro, fellow Tootsuki alumnus and ex-Elite Ten member, _many_ generations removed. The new Nakiri-in-law was certainly in high spirits…though the white-haired male could not understand _why_ he was being picked out of all the guests milling around to be imparted this gem of wisdom to.

The younger man was not in a very comfortable place at the moment. Rindou had just given him the slip under the pretense of wanting to give her well wishes to the newlyweds, who at the moment did not look very much like a pair of blissful newlyweds, since they appeared to be arguing over something again in that noisy, semi-antagonistic manner that seemed to be their thing, right in the middle of the grand foyer with all their bemused/amused guests surrounding them. That was not something Eishi was very interested in, however. He had other concerns. For someone with really distinct red hair and a not very petite stature, the woman whom he had just lost sight of sure was ridiculously good at disappearing on him. She had, however, promised that she would be back, and so in the meantime, Eishi was stuck entertaining Yukihira's father…who was very quickly turning out to be every bit as eccentric as his son…if not even more.

"Yukihira-san," he started, in that automatic, cordially polite tone usually reserved for problem customers trying to stir up trouble at the restaurant, only to pause in wary disconcertment when Joichiro leaned over and peered closely at the distant looking young man standing before him. Of course he knew who the latter was. The name and face of Tsukasa Eishi was well known to just about every one within the culinary industry – theirs was a pretty insular and well-connected world. There was also something about the other's demeanor and expression that was quite nigglingly familiar.

"You remind me of someone I used to know," the ex-Second Seat pointed out suddenly. Someone who once used to be his kouhai; extremely talented, very polite, and soft spoken. That gentle, black and white-haired youth from so long ago was no more, not a trace of him left behind in the ruthless and cold man who was now Nakiri Azami and the father of his adorable daughter-in-law… _but_ there was something in this young man that still reminded him of the teenager that Azami once was.

"…Maybe you need to meet a woman that will make you _want_ to give all the food you make to her too," the older man decided, and Eishi just _stared_.

Then Rindou reappeared and the two men unanimously shifted their attention to her. Eishi's thoughts briefly derailed at the sight of her, even though he had already seen her in all her dressed up glory several times over the course of the evening. The gown she wore was sleek, off-shouldered and figure-hugging, with a mermaid train that flared elegantly from her knees to ripple gently on the floor, further accentuating her leggy, statuesque form. Draped in the exquisite creation of turquoise silk, softly shimmering chiffon and delicate, gossamer lace, she looked like a titian sea goddess stepping out of the frothing waves, complete with tousled wind-swept curls tumbling with wild abandon down her back, unforgettable kohl-lined gold eyes and painted ruby lips.

She was so beautiful, and his chest _ached_ just watching her.

There was a small part of him that was still skeptical that this was real – that she was real and not a figment of his imagination and that she was right here with him.

But she was.

"Yukihira-oyaji! Congrats on your new daughter! Erina-chan's probably more excited to finally get to call you 'papa' than actually marrying Souma!" The redhead was holding a bottle of beer and she was more than happy to clink bottle necks with the older man in a celebratory toast. The two grinned at each other like old friends.

"Rindou-chan, you flatter this old man." Joichiro was smiling with delight, his gaze gentling with familial fondness as it settled briefly on his son and new daughter-in-law, still comically annoying the cookie out of each other some distance away. He returned his attention to his companions soon enough. "How was India? You were at Hyderabad and Mumbai recently, weren't you?"

Rindou's cat-slit eyes lit up happily at his question. "Ah, did Khanna-san mention me to you? I dropped by his place briefly and he stuffed me full with his delicious cooking before he even allowed me to leave. India was amazing, as always! I enjoyed the place so much I nearly missed my flight back here-"

She was animated and glowing with enthusiasm as she shared her experiences, and standing beside her, it was almost too easy to let the comforting familiarity of her bubbly excitement wash over him. He was staring at her again – she had been quieter and subdued earlier, when there was only just the two of them, the expanse of five years and an ocean of unsaid words drowning between them. But now, before someone else, she was back to that bright, cheerful self that he remembered her to be.

He wondered if they would ever return to that time, just the both of them.

Joichiro would be blind and completely oblivious to miss the way the young man before him was watching the young woman by his side.

 _Hoh. So that's how it is._

* * *

Not too long after, Dojima Gin appeared and exasperatedly towed the happy father-in-law away. Apparently, there were some guests who already had to depart from the festivities and the father of the groom was expected to station himself at the ballroom entrance to fulfill his hosting duties and help thank the guests for their attendance, not try to blend in amongst the crowd and skive off.

Rindou waved the two off happily enough, and then she peered at the quiet, white-haired man beside her. She didn't think that socializing was still very much his thing, but he had stayed close all the same and hadn't even interrupted or demanded that she drop everything to resume the conversation between them that had been left hanging instead.

His attention turned to hers, and she didn't know why, but her lips slowly twitched up, and she could not help but send him a tiny, lopsided smile. _Hopeful._ He didn't smile back at her, but he did continue to watch her with that inscrutable, sober expression on his face…and their gazes locked…and _held_.

…The years had been good to him, she could not help but think. Then again, he had always been a very attractive individual; impossibly pretty in his adolescence, and adulthood had only further enhanced that distant, regal beauty of his, sharpening his aquiline features, accentuating his high cheekbones and full, sculpted lips. He was distracting to look at this close up; the lavender hues of his eyes keeping her in thrall and drawing her even deeper, and she found herself instinctively swaying towards him, wanting to be closer…

"Now that's a beautiful face I haven't seen in a while," the light, familiar baritone that floated over immediately broke the spell between them. Rindou blinked, and she turned towards the source of the voice.

Eishi drew his hand back from where he was already beginning to reach for her, and slipped it into the pocket of his trousers instead as if he had always meant to make that action. He swiveled his head just in time to see one Isshiki Satoshi meander up towards them. The scion of the Isshiki clan was debonair and charming as usual, dressed sharply in a tailored Italian suit not very different from that of his own. The younger man nodded at him in acknowledgement, eyes gleaming as if he was sitting on a funny little secret.

"Tsukasa-san."

The white-haired chef was vaguely annoyed by all the people coming up to them, but he schooled his expression enough to return a cordial greeting.

"Isshiki."

The ex-Seventh Seat came to a stop before the pair with the strange tension floating between them, but he was polite enough not to mention it. Instead, he picked up the redhead's hand and bowed over her fingers, brushing a playfully elaborate, gallant kiss over the back of her knuckles.

"Hello, Rindou-senpai. Long time no see," he teased as he straightened again, and Rindou could not help but be amused by his deliberate antics as well.

"Isshiki, ya dork. We just ran into each other last year at Jeju-do – whaddya mean, 'long time no see?'" She drew her hand back from his English styled greeting to lightly swat the younger man upside his head, equally impish. While not _very_ close, the two did occasionally cross paths every now and then. The chance encounter in the Korean peninsula had ensued because they had both happened to be trying to procure the exceedingly rare Jeju Black Cattle – and Rindou had certainly been happy to run into this kouhai of hers…even though he had fought her for the best cuts of the beef and she _still_ owed him a kick in the gonads for stealing and running off with her prized filet mignon.

"Are you back in Japan for good now?" the brunette enquired with cursory curiosity, eyes still twinkling with good-natured mischief, but she merely shrugged and gave the same reply that she had given Eishi, earlier.

"Who knows?"

Those observant cyan hues flickered over to where the ex-First Seat was standing. For a moment, Satoshi was briefly puzzled by the latter's stoic presence…but it didn't take long for him to connect the dots. Something very much like surprised understanding briefly crossed Satoshi's expression as he studied the grim, almost unyielding stature of the older male. _Like the staunch figure of a noble knight zealously protecting his Queen_ , he could not help but muse, lips quirking in a ghost of a smirk at his own fanciful notions.

… _Though the man in question was starting to resemble a stone gargoyle more at the moment, what with the way he was glaring…_

How the tables had turned; once upon a time, it had been her who had thrown everything away to protect him.

* * *

It didn't take long for Eishi to figure out something significantly aggravating. Well, significantly aggravating to him, that was.

For someone who had not stepped foot in Japan for years, she sure seemed to still be on very good terms with many of the movers and shakers of their world.

 _Many_ of the movers and shakers of their world… _except_ for him, that was. There was also the fact that a good handful of them all seemed to allude to meetings with her in the recent past, and for the life of Eishi, he could not help but feel very _vexed_ by that understanding.

 _So he was not good enough for her anymore?_

Isshiki had finally the good sense to excuse himself, though not before amusing himself watching the ex-First Seat glower and act like a cagey… _tiger_ , for a lack of better description. These days, the man was known to be something of an aloof Ice King, so it was rather amazing to see that he was capable of looking visibly irritated…and over something ( _someone_ ) other than cooking, to boot.

It was astounding…though in hindsight, _of course_ it would be Rindou-senpai of all people to pull out that kind of agitated emotion from him. Even back when they were all still students of Tootsuki, those two had always been particularly close. Isshiki was not privy to the details of the pair's relationship- though it did seem like there definitely was still something going on, judging by Tsukasa-san's edgy, possessive demeanor…and the usually discreet, reserved male wasn't even making any effort to hide it! Rindou-senpai was harder to read, but if the carefree, outspoken woman had truly minded her companion's hovering, she would have easily slipped away like she usually did.

 _That_ was one female that was impossible to get a hold of unless she actually desired to be caught.

…Isshiki silently wished Tsukasa-san all the best.

Once again, they were left to their own devices, and this time, Rindou turned straight to her mostly silent companion. She could see that he was quickly reaching the end of his tether. No doubt he was getting more and more impatient because after all this time, she was _still_ making him _wait_.

"You don't need to tail me so closely, you know," she told him. "I already said that I'd be hanging around for a while yet."

He didn't reply, and she huffed with exasperation.

"You have become even weirder after all this time, Tsukasa," the redhead pointed out, and if anything, his silent gaze just grew even more pointed.

 _Whose fault is that?_

She narrowed her eyes at him and placed her hands on her hips, lower lip turning out a hair in an indignant pout. His eyes lingered on the lush bow of her mouth, red like sweet, ripened raspberries.

" _Hmmph_. I don't think I appreciate your tone at all."

His brow lifted, lavender gaze lightening slightly as she stepped closer, his dark mood recovering significantly now that she was focusing those bright golden eyes on him. A small part of him was instinctively leery of just how easily she was affecting him; the rest of him was just too beguiled by her presence to care at the moment. If she was the fiery flame, then surely he would be the moth recklessly throwing himself headlong into her fire.

Someone had once told him that he was the king of delayed gratification, one of the best at denying himself whatever he wanted so long as it could further his ambitions. The flitting recollection was almost enough to make Tsukasa laugh bitterly. If only they could see him _now_. His principles, his self-discipline, his iron-willed resolve, they were buckling and unraveling before her.

He slowly, deliberately, leaned in towards her, and this close, she had to tilt her head back a bit just to maintain eye contact. This time, there was no pause or hesitation in her demeanor, and she did not flinch away from his direct stare.

This time, there was no mistaking that jolt of hyperawareness between them, this electrifying, dizzying connection that even she could not ignore, purposefully or otherwise. He watched as her eyes widened in slow realization, those slit-pupils dilating in a very alluring way that made him wonder what sort of expression she would show if he closed the rest of the distance between them and-

"…Why am I not surprised at all to see you two together?"

The familiar, obnoxious drawl that resounded behind him made his temple _twitch_ in automatic response. Rindou, who had front row view of his piqued expression, looked momentarily bemused, then _amused_ once she, too, figured out the identity of the voice.

The redhead poked her head to the side to peer around the White Knight's utterly still, silently irritated form, and immediately, a grin lit up her face. Unlike her companion, she was quite happy for the interruption. Or maybe it was _relief_? Tsukasa had been making her feel strange things all night long and she really wished that he would stop trying to intimidate her with his heavy stares and distracting proximity. She knew that he was mad at her (rightfully so) and that he could nurse grudges like nobody's business if he was particularly inclined, but what was with this weird hot-and-cold treatment that he was giving her? He had never been like this with her before and to say that she was ill-equipped to handle this side of him would be the understatement of the century.

As such, Rindou was practically all too gleeful to duck around him to tackle the lesser of the two evils.

"Kuga!"

The bicolored-haired male sauntered up, a smirk sitting firmly on his face as he strolled over to the other two. Whereas Rindou looked pleased to see him, behind her, Eishi was slower to turn around to meet the younger male, and his expression was barely enthusiastic, to say the least.

Oh, this white-haired senpai of his was still as poker faced as ever, but it was the little minute details that gave him away; the slightest narrowing of his lavender eyes, the faint, barely perceptible tightening of the corners of his mouth…

Eishi's irritation only grew anew once he saw that the ex-Ninth Seat did not seem the least surprised by Rindou's presence, _too_. In fact, judging by the way the two were easily bickering back and forth like they always used to, one could almost be led to believe that Rindou had never actually _left_.

Or maybe it was only him who had been the unwitting outsider all this time.

There was an odd sort of charged atmosphere going on here, and one that Kuga was starting to regret sticking his nose into. Rindou was obviously making use of his presence to avoid Tsukassan for some reason, and Tsukassan was starting to look quite displeased by the interference, as a result. Judging by the pointed way he was looking at Kuga, the older male was expecting the younger man to butt out, _pronto_.

It was also kind of funny (in a scary way) since it has been quite some time since he had seen Tsukassan's typically distant gaze light up with such quietly _piercing_ ferocity.

No wonder Rindou was looking at just about everything but him. Kuga wondered if the White Knight knew that he probably should tone down on his intensity some. If he had known that he was going to get stuck between these two and their ever complicated, convoluted relationship, he would have made himself scarce this entire evening.

"So, Kuga- have ya toasted Yukihira and Erina-chan already? Maybe we should all head over to the bar to catch up and reminisce on old times," Rindou was saying, though just right behind her, Eishi had an expression that suggested he would _strongly_ insist otherwise.

"I think Kuga hardly needs any catching up with you," the white-haired man interjected slowly, _icily_. "You two seem well acquainted as it stands."

The bicolored-haired male turned his head to address his senpai's sharp, peeved tone in muted surprise. His brow lifted silently – _what_ ; was the man seriously _sulking_?

He huffed in incredulous disbelief. _This idiot couple-_

" _Tch,_ of course we are well acquainted. Who d'ya think I've been keeping tabs on you for?"

Rindou froze completely, and then _now_ it was her turn to glower at the big mouth that was one Kuga Terunori. That _punk_. See if she would still bring him those ultra-rare, high grade wild grown Aji Charapita chili peppers again the next time she went adventuring in the Peruvian rainforests…but she would have to deal with him another time.

…Because now Eishi was _staring_ at her like he was starting to figure out all the puzzle pieces, which did _not_ bode well for her at all. Once Tsukasa had his head wrapped around an idea, he never let go.

His eyes slowly narrowed, and the redhead promptly decided that a tactical retreat would be a good idea, _stat_.

She tore her gaze away from his and pretended like he was invisible. "Oh look; is that Chapelle-sensei? I should go and say hi-"

She only managed one step before his hand snapped out and caught her wrist, keeping her from fleeing. His long, lean fingers easily encircled the slender circumference of her forearm, not tightly enough to hurt her, but he wasn't letting her go for anything anymore.

Eishi's expression was flat as he gazed upon Rindou.

"I think we should have that talk, _now._ "

* * *

 _::owari::_

* * *

 **Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:**

This chapter is unedited, so read at your own risk! (I probably should put this warning pre-chapter, and post-chapter, ahaha…)

 **xXxXxXxXxX**

Your reviews make me update faster; so please leave a comment if you like this fic!

-sllebswap


	4. Chapter 4

**Title:** Lost and Found

 **Author:** sllebswap

 **Characters/Pairing:** Kobayashi Rindou and Tsukasa Eishi

 **Type:** Continuous (InComplete)

 **Genre:** Romance/General

 **Word Count:** 3408

 **Rating:** T (Contains content not suitable for children)

 **Disclaimer:** Shokugeki no Souma belongs to Tsukuda-san.

 **Summary:** Loss was like this. It was her stricken face, echoing in his mind. Her anguish, spearing through his chest. The memory of her, breaking in his arms.

 **Verse:** Canon Divergent AU

 **Chapter Last Revised on:** 29/03/18

* * *

 **say something**

* * *

In theory, being gallantly escorted by an enigmatic, determined and flawlessly good-looking man put together in an impeccable Italian suit was an experience breathlessly thrilling and romantic.

 _In theory._

In practice, Tsukasa was booking it out of the crowded ballrooms like a hound out of hell and the only reason that Rindou was getting shortness of breath was because he was dragging her along behind him in his headlong charge. She did not even have time to say her good byes to any of her friends and acquaintances along the way – he was gripping onto her so tightly. She was starting to suspect that he had set the punishing pace deliberately so that she would not be able to stop by anyone and flag them subtly for SOS.

 _Damn._

A part of her was still stumped by how quickly everything was spiraling out of her control…and in ways she certainly hadn't expected, too. Most of all, she also did not remember Tsukasa being so… _domineering_.

Yes, domineering was the word. Bossy was another. He was also kinda grumpy and she wondered if somebody had pissed in his coffee that morning or something.

She had heard the rumors over the years; that he was one of the hardest chefs in Japan to work for, that he was incredibly unforgiving in his kitchen and was known to drive his entire team to the utter brink of exhaustion and sometimes even beyond until he was satisfied with the outcome of a particular dish…and then he would repeat his demands for the next course on the menu. Of course she had always known that he was doggedly tenacious when it came to the pursuit of culinary perfection…but _this_ was something else altogether.

She stared at their linked hands, openly bewildered by their differences. _Had his hands always been so much bigger than hers? Had his fingers always been so long? Had he always felt this warm, this solidly tangible?_

Rindou had no idea. There was no basis for comparison; it wasn't as if they had ever been in this position before. …Which actually made it all the more baffling that this was happening _now_.

Just what sort of major character development had she missed in her absence?

But first things first. The designer dress that she was currently wearing accomplished many things – amongst which was the magical ability to make her boobs and butt look beyond amazing – but it most certainly wasn't meant for rushing about in, and neither were her tall heels. It was a struggle and then some not to stumble and fall on her face. Rindou decided that she had been exceedingly patient and accommodating as it was. She might not know just what had happened to her ex-best friend that turned him into an unreasonable grouch capable of hauling women willy nilly like a grunting Neanderthal, _but did he forget who she was?_

Rindou dug in her heels, mulishly applying the brakes and dragging him to a stop.

"Tsukasa, either slow the hell down or let go of my hand! _Sheesh_ , I'm not galloping with you down the entire length of Tootsuki Resorts!"

He slowed down.

…Which was kind of surprising because she had actually expected a different outcome. She was pretty sure that the Tsukasa she knew in the past would have dropped her hand like a hot coal and sputtered apologies like a dying engine. Rindou shook her head inwardly. She had to remind herself once more that the man that stood before her now was no longer the same as the boy she had left behind her five years ago-

He readjusted his hold on her, interlocking their fingers, and then he continued to tug her along. His pace was more measured now, but then again, they had left the populated areas of the wedding reception and there were hardly anyone else along the carpeted hallway that led to the lobby. It was just as well, because Rindou belatedly realized that they probably were giving off all sorts of wrong impressions at the moment.

She stared at him like he was an entirely new species of animal that she had never seen before. He ignored her pointed gaze.

"…There's really no need to lead me around like I'm a toddler, you know," she muttered after a while, sarcasm thick in her tone. "I'm old enough not to get lost by accident, promise."

Attempts to subtly retract her hand only resulted in him gripping onto her even tighter, much to her nonplussed glower. They arrived at the extravagantly decorated elevator lobby, and he promptly ushered her into one of the empty, waiting cabins.

Then he finally turned to her. They were the only ones in there.

"Which floor did they put you on?" he asked tersely. Most of the guests attending the wedding were staying in the resort for the weekend – himself included. It wouldn't be too far of a stretch to assume that it was the same for her.

"Fifty-six," she blurted out automatically, because he was being so assertive that she was still a bit stunned by it all. It was only when he punched the corresponding button for the level and the gold gilded doors slid close that she figured out what was going on. " _Wait_ ; are we gonna do this in my _room_? Why do we have to do this in my room?"

He did not waste any time beating around the bush. "So I'll know exactly where to start looking when you disappear again."

Her brows puckered together, vaguely offended by his attitude. " _Oi_! I already said that I'd be hanging around for a while! You're totally breaking my heart here, Tsukasa!"

"Join the club," he muttered back, unimpressed. "You broke mine all those years back."

Thing was, he was saying it so casually, and without any ounce of embarrassment or awkwardness too, that she was completely thrown.

"Um," she could only manage to reply, and rather inadequately, too. His response was so flat, so devoid of humor, and he was also staring rather pointedly at her as if daring her to refute otherwise. This passive aggressiveness of his was really something else altogether. Rindou wondered if she had somehow entered an alternate dimension without knowing it. _What did he mean, she broke his heart? Haah?_

The rest of the elevator ride was made in silence. Silence with tension thick enough to cut through even with a dull butter knife. Since it was a long way up, the next thirty seconds or so had felt like an eternity. And he was still holding her hand. Rindou decided that he was determined to make sure she couldn't make a break for it before he could throttle her in privacy later for all the grief she had caused him over the years.

When they finally arrived at their stop, he paused with her at the lobby, waiting for her to lead the rest of the way. She cleared her throat, trying to stall.

"Just asking to make sure, but you aren't perchance trying to get me alone so that you can murder me without any witnesses, are you? 'Coz I'm too young and beautiful to die, by the way."

It was a joke. It was a stupid lame joke that was supposed to diffuse all of this godawful tension and he was supposed to give her that exasperated look that he always used to make at her whenever she was being too ridiculous for him to fathom, and then maybe this intimidating persona of his would go away and the endearing dork she was more familiar with would take over and she would know that there was a good chance that things would eventually be alright between them-

But she was five years too late, and the man he was now barely bore any trace left of the boy he used to be.

Eishi looked at her for a good, long while. When he finally spoke, it was slow, deliberate, and very, _very_ calm.

"Murder will be letting you off the hook too easily."

She just stared at him.

"…You're boiling mad inside, aren't you?" she asked in wonder, though they both knew that was a rhetoric question.

"Where's your room?" he asked instead, and with the sort of rock-still, unyielding patience that implied they weren't going anywhere until he had gotten his way.

She gazed at him some more and silently contemplated whether if she could outrun him if she kicked him behind the knees first to buy herself some time. But then there was a deadpan look on his expression, one that suggested that he could tell very well what was going through her mind at that moment…followed by a slow, maddening rise of his eyebrow that all but silently dared her to try it…because he would obviously _relish_ the excuse to chase her down.

She sighed, her shoulders slumping with comical defeat. _Rude_.

She scowled at him, but he was unfazed. "This is _not_ how I envision my evening to go if I was going to invite a man into my rooms," she muttered peevishly under her breath. He heard her all the same, loud and clear.

"You invite men into your rooms often?" he asked stiffly.

"Why? You jealous?" she retorted, but she did not wait for him to respond as she turned and started to march down one of the plush, carpeted hallways that led to her suite. There was no point prolonging the inevitable. They eventually stopped before one of the many doors that lined the empty passageway, and he watched with silent incredulity as she fished a couple of cards out from between her…cleavage. The first turned out to be a credit card. The second, the key card.

"What? Does this skin tight dress looks like it comes with pockets? A girl has gotta be creative when it comes to storing the necessities!"

She was still as outrageous as ever, that was obvious enough. With a flick of her crimson hair and a huff, she turned and unlocked the door. He wasted no time bundling her through the threshold and then he finally let her go to shut the door behind them. Now, the only wildcard in the room was _her_. He could handle that. He turned back to find her already kicking off her heels, messily leaving them haphazardly lying by the doorway, then pacing barefooted into the small lounge area, at the same time unclipping her earrings and heading straight for the well-stocked minibar.

She was filled with nervous energy, and busied herself pulling out one of those miniature bottles of red wine that were stocked in the fridge and cracking it open.

"You want one?" she asked, not even bothering to pour the alcohol onto a glass flute, drinking it straight from the bottle instead. Something told her that she was going to need some liquid courage for what was coming up next.

He gazed at her, expression inscrutable. "I'd prefer to stay sober for our conversation."

Her ruby lips quirked. "Are you going to judge me now?" She took another swig from the tiny glass container – it wasn't the best label that she has had but it got the job of getting her slightly buzzed done all the same. She was almost sad when most of its contents was drained so quickly. She raised her regretful gaze to his. "I'm already guilty in your eyes, anyhow."

He stiffened at her self-deprecating words.

"You do _not_ get to feel sorry for yourself – it doesn't work like that," he snapped.

She did not avoid his glare, however much she wanted to flinch away from that piercing sharpness. These thorns of his – had he stabbed himself with them so often that he was covered in wounds, and was that why he was lashing out in pain?

Remorse filled her, guilt attempting to eat her alive all over again. _Was this her fault, too?_

Of course it was her fault. Look what she had done to him. Did she even deserve to call herself his friend anymore?

But this time, she wasn't going to run away. At least not without setting things straight and making it up to him. She had _hurt_ him by leaving, she was beginning to realize now. And maybe even in other ways that she had not anticipated back then. She was resolved to fix it all…even if he did not want her to.

"I know." She squared her shoulders and faced him properly. Because this was the least he deserved, the least of what she owed him. "I _am_ sorry. I may be a few years too late to say this to you, but that doesn't make my feelings any less honest."

"Why now?" he asked tightly. Judging by how he had stiffened, he was starting to get increasingly upset. Those clear, pristine lavender eyes of his glittered with stormy turbulence and simmering hostility that he knew not what to do with, chaos just bubbling dangerously beneath the surface of the icy, implacable veneer that he was tenaciously clinging to. Her very presence brought disruption to his entire being. Just by being near her sent conflicting signals of reflexive attraction and wary nausea rippling through him, and most of all, was the burning question sitting on the tip of his tongue that he had been wondering about fruitlessly for years, but yet still remained unsaid.

 _Why did you leave?_

She tilted her head slightly at him, her glowing slit-pupiled gaze taking in the quicksilver gamut of emotions flashing across his stark, patrician features, come and gone too fast for her to entirely comprehend. He was rigid with the effort to keep an iron-willed lid over his rising temper. And he was angry. He had every _right_ to be angry. He was bristling, quietly seething with this potent fury that she suspected he had kept bottled up all these years…because there had been no one to direct them at… _because she was not there when he needed her to be_. That silent, wordless accusation, the things that he had not said but they both knew were true anyway…it hurt her more than her guilt had.

They had a promise. She broke it. It was as simple and as complicated as that.

It was _so_ hard to think with him staring at her like that, with that overwhelming intensity that threatened to suffocate her. Yes, he was furious…but it wasn't just that. There was something else lingering there too, something powerful and covert that he was trying to keep separated and hidden from this convoluted situation with her…had _always_ tried to keep separate and hidden from her…and she was slowly beginning to figure out what it was.

"…Would it have been better if I never showed myself before you again?"

 _Yes._ _ **No**_ _._

He did not know the answer to that question. Some days, he vehemently _wished_ that they had never met. Other times, especially on late evenings when he was returning to an echoing, empty apartment after long hours at the restaurant, dead on his feet and trembling from stress and weariness, he swore he could almost hear her scolding drawl by his ear, her imagined company a near tangible thing as he vividly pictured her beside him, her comforting warmth and bossy concern so dearly missed that he would conjure up her ghost from nothing more than the wistful remnants of his fading memories. Some of those nights, he thought that he would have given anything just to have her back in his life again, in any capacity.

And now she was standing in front of him in the flesh, visibly repentant and earnestly, _awkwardly_ , trying to apologize, and all he felt at the moment was foreboding fear as he stared at her beautiful face and tried to imagine the havoc having her back in his life would bring.

What other alternative was there?

That one other alternative there was, he had already lived it. That hollow existence. _The last five years…was it not enough?_

The _look_ on his face made her blanch silently, her stomach dropping with dismay. _What had she done?_

"I'm sorry," she could only repeat, feeling like an automaton spitting out the same words over and over without fully comprehending the weight of its meaning. Funny, where was the confidence and resolve that she had felt when she had returned to Japan, ready to confront their tangled past? Where were they? _She was in over her head._

"Why are you only sorry _now_?" he asked hoarsely then…and she _flinched_. His hopeless gaze sharpened, hardened at her expression of guilt, because she did not know what to say. "… _Why_ …Rindou?"

She could not seem to speak, because he stepped even closer then, all but looming over her.

"I…" she trailed off, disconcerted by his oppressiveness, the darkness that occupied him. She took an involuntary step back, swallowing, and his pale eyes narrowed.

Meeting her… _here_ was no random act of happenstance at all, was it?

Of course it wasn't. It was too immaculate, too coincidental, to be anything but orchestrated.

He was infuriated by the realization. He felt like a fool, for she could still influence his emotions so easily, getting him to dance to her manipulations like a hapless puppet with its lines artfully controlled by a puppet master.

"What are you looking for?" His voice was so dangerously soft, so deadly still, and when she did not reply, he took another step forward, deliberately crowding her, cowing her, stalking her. She backed away from him but he ruthlessly matched her step for step until she hit the wall, and before she could sidle away, he closed the rest of the distance between them and planted his hands on the vertical surface by both sides of her head, effectively keeping her trapped in place. She stilled like a butterfly pinned on a specimen tray. She winced inwardly at the mental imagery. _Bad analogy_.

"I wanted to see you again," she blurted out at last, hassled by his intimidating aura. Also, the way he lowered his head towards hers was making her fluster and her thoughts derail, just a bit. He was making her jittery and nervous too, feelings she never would have associated with him, of all people. "I-I just wanted to see for myself that you're okay, alright?!"

She bit her lip, and then continued before she could lose her nerve. She lifted her gaze and held his, and her voice quieted.

"…I also want to apologize to you, properly."

 _So that's it._

So that's why she was here, standing before him after all this time with those bright eyes he could never say no to, because she was feeling _guilty_ and could no longer stand the prick of her conscience. His hand slowly curled into a fist, and this impotent feeling of defeat and muted anger washed over him, threatening to overwhelm his control.

"Are you looking for forgiveness?" he asked tonelessly, lavender icing over.

She looked at him, willing herself to maintain eye contact.

"I just want you to give me a chance to make things right again."

He was silent. Ominously so.

"Ask me properly," he rasped, enunciating so quietly that his lips barely moved. Their faces were so close then, she could see the individual slivers of silver that made up his irises. She licked her lips, throat going dry at his proximity. He was still inching closer, until they were sharing breaths, until he was all she could see. Her heart thundered in her ears so loudly, she could barely hear anything else. Their mouths were hairbreadths apart. Her eyes started to flutter shut, her face upturned instinctively towards him.

His sharp, intent eyes roved hungrily over her delicate, striking features. _What an achingly beautiful, heartbreaking face it was._

"…Tsukasa… _please_ ," she moaned, helplessly.

He shuddered at her begging lilt, treacherously enticing like a siren's song.

But this time, he refused to fall victim to her enchantment.

At least not without clipping her wings first.

" **No**."

He steeled himself, fingers digging into the flesh of his palm. He made himself pull away.

Her eyes flew open to look at him in disbelief, but he wasn't done yet. His expression was grim; he would not be moved now that he had decided on this course of action.

"If you want forgiveness, you're going to have to earn it."

* * *

 _::owari::_

* * *

 **Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:**

Nothing much to comment here, just wading through all the UST, haha. Oh yah, there will be liberal UST over the next few chapters – you've been warned~!

 **xXxXxXxXxX**

Your reviews make me update faster; so please leave a comment if you like this fic!

-sllebswap


	5. Chapter 5

**Title:** Lost and Found

 **Author:** sllebswap

 **Characters/Pairing:** Kobayashi Rindou and Tsukasa Eishi

 **Type:** Continuous (InComplete)

 **Genre:** Romance/General

 **Word Count:** 5616

 **Rating:** T (Contains content not suitable for children)

 **Disclaimer:** Shokugeki no Souma belongs to Tsukuda-san.

 **Summary:** Loss was like this. It was her stricken face, echoing in his mind. Her anguish, spearing through his chest. The memory of her, breaking in his arms.

 **Verse:** Canon Divergent AU

 **Chapter Last Revised on:** 05/05/18

* * *

 **drive**

* * *

When Rindou woke up the next morning, she felt like death warmed over.

The incessant ringing of her phone alarm made her head feel like it was going to explode to the ungodly cheerful tune, the consequence of her reckless overindulgence from the night before. She must have cleared out the entire minibar by her lonesome before passing out in bed, makeup yet to be removed and still dressed in the evening gown that she had squeezed herself into for the wedding reception. Her eyes felt gritty and painfully sensitive to light, and she winced when she cracked them open only to quickly squeeze her lids shut again, an uncomfortable grimace crossing her features. She groaned, but her mouth was dry and cottony as if something furry had died in there, and she only managed a sad, unhappy croak instead.

With some effort, she flopped onto her belly like a beached whale, and her queasy stomach lurched in protest, as if all the alcohol that she had consumed yesterday were still sloshing about inside. Her arm stretched out, hand flapping around the tangled sheets in the general direction of where all that racket was coming from. Her fingers eventually came into contact with her phone, and after a few seconds of blind fumbling, that noisy tune abruptly cut itself off. Blessed silence.

" _Urk_ -" She faceplanted onto the mattress and wished for death to take her, utterly wretched and miserable. It still felt like something was banging at the back of her skull relentlessly – her head _hurt_.

She should probably never let herself get so hammered ever again. People drank to temporarily forget their problems, but not her, though not for a lack of trying.

How very unfair.

The redhead had no idea how long she laid there, but it felt like hours later before she regained enough sense of will to attempt being human again. More unintelligible curses crawled out of her mouth when she realized that she was actually going to have to _move_ if she wanted to become a proper adult and actually get things done. _Drats_.

And oh yeah. She was also supposed to check out of the resort today-

The redhead jackknifed out of bed, eyes bursting open at the abrupt realization. She also immediately regretted the rash, impulsive action as she doubled over, clutching her poor aching head in her hands.

"Owowowowowshitshitshitshit _shittttt!_ "

Swearing did not actually help alleviate the pounding behind her eyes, but it did make her feel a bit better about her crappy situation, emotionally. She stumbled out of bed and onto her feet like a wobbly toddler just learning how to walk, and started to shuffle miserably towards the bathroom. She had to shuffle _slowly_ because the throbbing in her head was starting to turn into dizzying, outright vertigo…and Rindou had a very good idea what was going to happen next. So the redhead started to move a bit faster…but also carefully.

But faster.

She was only halfway there when someone knocked on her door. She groaned, pausing. _Now, what?_ Who was in front of her door at this ungodly hour of the morning?

The knock sounded again, a sharp, crisp rap that made it very clear that whoever was on the other side wasn't going anywhere until she answered. Grumping under her breath, she slowly hobbled over to the entrance, shoving one hand through her tangled crimson rat nest of a hair so they would stop obscuring her vision…and that she would also look less like a madwoman. But who was going to care, anyway? Her day was already sucking so what difference would it make? She felt grungy and she had horrible hangover breath and her face was starting to feel really gross and oily from sleeping with makeup still slathered on, and that only made her all the more peeved at just about everything in general.

More knocking ensued because whoever it was had no chill and thought that she stood by the door all day just waiting to greet her callers, apparently. Growling under her breath, she eventually reached the entrance, fumbled with the latches, and then threw the door open wrathfully. She might have overdone on the temper bit because the door banged loudly against the wall it hit, promptly bounced back with reciprocating force and smacked into her in retribution.

Instant karma.

Okay, so maybe she deserved that.

She winced, stumbled and threw out a hand to catch herself unsteadily against the doorframe.

" _What_?!" she snapped roughly, flustered and feeling quite stupid. "Who is-"

Her voice died in her throat once her bleary vision landed on the repulsively bright and shining visage of the one man she really did not want to see right now.

Tsukasa.

 _Of course._

Also, figured that he was every bit impeccably put together and perfect with not a single strand of hair out of place while she probably looked like she had just fallen off the back end of a garbage truck. She definitely felt like it. If she wasn't so tired and grumpy and nursing a headache and completely out of fucks to give, she would have been a lot more chagrinned.

He _stared_ at her.

She looked like a raccoon. An unkempt, sexy raccoon with mascara smudged eyes and sex hair and rumpled day old clothes that she had obviously slept in.

She looked a mess. A hot mess.

He started to wonder if there was something wrong with his head.

She was none too pleased to see him.

"What do you want," she demanded in mumbled suspicion, torn between squinting and glowering at him. "Are you here to be condescending and passive aggressive again? 'Coz it's too damn early to deal with you right now, so you can just take all of your uppity judginess and-" She made flappy shooing motions at him. "- _scoot_ , Tsukasa."

He could not believe that she had asked him to 'scoot,' of all things. And she was still warding him off like she was trying to repel evil spirits.

His temple twitched, imperceptibly.

"…It's eleven in the morning." He elected to ignore her ranting. "It's time to leave."

"It's time to leave?" She made a huffy sound that could almost pass as a disdainful snort. She would have tried pointing at him for maximum disdain-ness if not for the fact that her head was spinning something fierce and she was starting to become dizzy from the rest of the world twirling merrily around her. "Listen here, pal – I'm not going anywhere until I'm good and ready to do so. Who died and made you the hotel concierge? _Pffft_ -"

His eyes narrowed imperceptibly at her crabby demeanor.

"You were supposed to carpool back to Tokyo with Kuga this morning, weren't you? He left half an hour ago."

" _What_." Her indignation was palpable. She was a ruffled raccoon now, fur puffing up with displeasure. "That little weasel – he bailed on me!"

Sure, she had been the one who had overslept her alarm and forgotten entirely about keeping the time, but he could have called her or come knocking at her door to yell at her or something! But no, he just had to send over the living equivalent of The Frowning Disapproval.

"So you're carpooling with me," he concluded flatly. He wasn't even attempting to make any excuse, and if she suspected that he might have something to do with Kuga's convenient absence, then she wasn't exactly _wrong_ , either.

She gaped at him. Also, all the spinning and vertigo finally became too much. She turned green.

"I'm gonna barf-"

She whirled around quickly and stumbled back into the suite. There was a mad, frantic scramble for the bathroom, and she barely made it in time, thumping clumsily onto her knees before the porcelain throne and proceeding to empty the disgusting, sloshy, acidic contents in her stomach. She was about as graceful as the Niagara Falls as she upchucked everything into the toilet bowl. Her poor stomach roiled and pitched until it had nearly turned itself inside out, and even after then it continued to heave and roll some more. She was gagging on air and breathing heavily, cringing at the gross smell of vomit, stomach acid and partially digested chunks of unidentified stuff that she really did not want to think about, as her middle lurched dangerously again.

She fumbled to flush away her shame, then squeezed her eyes shut, moaning and pressing her forehead against the cool porcelain, once again wishing for death. " _Urgg_ -"

Her nausea slowly settled and started to go away, much to her relief, though her head was still trying its hardest to kill her, punishing her relentlessly for her imprudent indiscretion from the previous evening.

"How much did you drink last night?"

Good grief, she had forgotten all about the human version of her migraine. _Of course_ he had followed her in and then proceeded to witness one of her more hideously unglamorous moments. She peeled open one eye and was promptly greeted by the sight of his leather oxfords on the marble floor, the hem of his tailored slacks as he stood looking down at the amazing mess that was her. Once again, the reminder of his pristine put-together-ness was incredibly annoying. She was starting to wonder if he existed solely to remind her of all of her failures.

"Not nearly enough to justify all this endless suffering," she grumbled disgruntledly, grimacing unhappily as she reluctantly unpeeled herself from the toilet bowl, and struggled to get back to her feet. Her skull throbbed, but she soldiered on grimly. Stumbling over to the vanity countertop, she turned on the faucet, bent over the sink and washed the taste of puke out of her mouth, grimacing once again when she caught a glimpse of her reflection on the mirror. She looked like a train wreck.

She wiped her mouth with the back of a damp hand, straightened and met his gaze through the looking glass, resuming their previous conversation.

"I'll find a way down the mountain on my own. S'not like I can't call a cab or something…so you can just go and do whatever it is you usually do in your preppy turtleneck and your neatly ironed slacks and your shiny designer shoes."

She waved him off before she reached around to her nape to remove her necklace with unsteady fingers. It took her a few tries just to unhook the chain – _hangovers sucked_ , she thought to herself not for the first time. She also wanted out of the ridiculously tight dress which she had somehow slept in last night and now had left all sorts of uncomfortable lines pressed into her skin, desperately craving a quick shower to get rid of all the yuck and itching to scrub off the residual makeup on her face, with a steel bristled brush if necessary. _Eugggh_.

She mumbled under her breath. "Don't need your help just 'cos you feel sorry-"

"You think I'm doing this out of pity?" he asked, his lavender gaze hardening with irritation at her dismissive demeanor. He did not like being ignored by her, he was quickly coming to realize.

He moved behind her where she was preoccupied struggling to find the fastenings of her dress. She stilled at his approach, her golden eyes flashing, startled by his proximity. He ignored her visible surprise and pushed her hand away. Slowly, deliberately, he brushed the crimson strands of her long, tangled hair over her bare shoulder, leaving her upper back and nape vulnerably naked. She tensed.

His fingers closed over the metal clasp which she had been trying futilely to reach, slightly callused digits grazing the soft, warm skin of her upper mid back. Unhurriedly, he eased the zipper downwards, the edges of her dress parting, unveiling the milk and honey expanse of her lithe, willowy frame. His hand lingered by the small of her back, his eyes drifting over the poetic lines of her sleek back muscles, the supple, elegant curvature of her spine...

Goose pimples erupted over her skin. She bit her lip, speechless, attention raptly fixated on him. He was not touching her whatsoever, but he stood close enough that she could almost feel his warmth radiating against her bared back.

He slowly looked up, his gaze held hers intently, _possessively_ , through the mirror reflection.

His voice was a soft, silken timbre.

"…No, Rindou. My feelings are more than that."

Point made, he stepped away and started to withdraw from the bathroom.

"Take your shower. I'll wait outside."

The door slipped firmly shut behind him, and just like that, all that heavy, gripping pressure in the atmosphere disappeared with him.

She sucked in a deep breath of air, held it until she was about to turn blue, and then let it all whoosh out.

Her spine still tingled from the latent heat of his stare. _Holy shit._

 _What the hell,_ she thought incredulously, _was that all about?!_

* * *

She emerged from that much needed shower twenty minutes later.

In addition to feeling more refreshed and no longer grubby and gross, she was also more clearheaded and less jittery. Her head was still hurting her and her eyes were faintly bloodshot and ridiculously sensitive to light, but she felt a lot better, overall. There was also opportunity to mull over her thoughts beneath the shower and get her mind straightened out, and it was time to face the music.

Tsukasa was nowhere in sight when she poked her head out of the adjoining bathroom, but the bedroom door that led to the living area was closed, giving her the privacy to change and quickly pack up. She was used to travelling fast and light, so it did not take her long to put on a fresh set of clothes and throw everything else into the small carryon bag that she had brought along for this short trip. It was great to be out of her stifling gown. She was starting to feel comfortable again, in worn sneakers and shorts and a soft, fuzzy sweater. Running a brush quickly through her damp locks before tossing it into the side compartment of her bag, she was ready to go.

Emerging from the bedroom to the living room, she found him right away.

There was also a simple tray of breakfast sitting on the dining table, untouched. Juice, toast and scrambled eggs, accompanied by a tall glass of water and painkillers. Classic hangover food. He was seated on one of the chairs, and he studied her intently, now freshly scrubbed but still a bit pale looking, wan. He tipped his head wordlessly towards the food.

"…Thanks," she muttered, walking forward, sinking into the seat before the tray and digging in. She wasn't really ravenous; in fact, her stomach was still gurgling somewhat ominously, but she knew from experience that it would settle if she put some food in it. More importantly, the aspirin would help cure her headache, and she needed to eat before she could wash those pills down. He watched her attack the toast and eggs, at least until she could not take his quiet scrutiny anymore.

"Do you want some as well? 'Cos you can always ring up room service to bring more."

"I ate," he replied, but he continued to stare at her.

It made for an awkward meal. Also, was he trying to intimidate her? She narrowed her eyes at him, refusing to be daunted. She determinedly polished off the rest of her toast, aggressively scarfed down the scrambled eggs, and triumphantly chased all that food down with orange juice and aspirin. Then she dabbed daintily at the corners of her mouth with a napkin…as if he hadn't just seen her puke her guts out earlier.

 _Nope, never happened._ She was alpha too and on top of her game!

"…Do you require another serving of breakfast?" he enquired mildly in the aftermath of her voracious appetite. "You seem ravenous."

She was comically outraged by his blasé-ness, if that was even a word.

"What? _No_! Oh, c'mon! I watched those animal documentaries! I'm dominating you!"

In hindsight, it would have been wiser if she just kept her remarks to herself.

His brow silently lifted, and her insides squirmed at the look he gave her. Rindou was visibly bewildered by the weird, random flutter of attraction she felt, then…for _him_?

 _Huh?_

She stood up abruptly. "I need a drink," she blurted out. A stiff one. But her minibar had already been cleared out…by her…last night. _Dammit_. Was the hotel bar open already?

"No more drinking," he interjected before she could do anything else. "We need to go. There's a long drive ahead."

She didn't really care. That was just as good as any excuse to move away from him, so she took it. He was terribly disorienting and she should probably maintain some distance until she figured out what he was up to now. He made it so hard to be friends, she thought grumpily. Maybe that was exactly his intention; to keep her away. She briskly collected her phone and her carryon, did one last quick check around the suite to make sure that she had not forgotten anything important, and started to march out the door. He rose from his chair and followed, though once they stepped out of the suite, he procured the bag from her and walked down the hallway to the lift lobby. She hurried after him, not expecting his gesture.

"What are you doing?" she demanded to know. Attempts to retrieve her belonging failed as he simply shifted the duffel over to his other hand, away from her.

"Asserting dominance," he replied blandly. Apparently, she wasn't the only one who had watched _Dog Whisperer._

She stopped, her mouth falling open in disbelief. What. _What_.

Her eyes narrowed and she chased after him once more.

"I know what you're trying to do here! You're punishing me! Because you…hate me now!"

That made him slow down. _That_ faintest inflection in her voice.

He glanced inscrutably at her. "I never said that."

She was openly skeptical. "Please. You're obviously mad. At me."

He did not agree, but he did not disagree, either. "You disappeared without a word for five years." Was all he acknowledged, and judging by the slight stiffness in his tone, perhaps it wasn't such a good idea to remind him _why_ he was pissed off at her in the first place.

So she wisely kept quiet, and they reached the lobby and waited for the lift in silence. It did not take long for the elevator to arrive. They boarded the empty cabin and were soon heading down to the grand reception hall on the ground floor.

Try as she might, Rindou was not one to stay silent, unfortunately.

 _He did not hate her._

He had just implied as much. She rolled his words around her head a few times, mulling over them and their meaning. He did not hate her, but obviously she was far from being his most favorite person at the moment. She could still work with that, she decided at last. More importantly, she could still _fix_ this. This mess. Their mess. This mess that was _them_.

They were nearly reaching the ground floor when she turned to him, a glint of reckless resolve flaring in her cat slit eyes.

"You know what? You won't stay mad at me forever," she announced abruptly. In her zeal and sudden confidence in her revelation that came out of nowhere and really had no supporting evidence to back up, she stepped right up to him, her sharp little chin lifting in challenge. She drew her face close to his; in her eagerness to prove her point, the concept of personal space had completely flown right out of her head, as usual.

"You. Can't."

He didn't say anything, just _stared_ at her. That was fine, since she wasn't actually seeking validation from him, anyway. No, she was riding high on her sense of inspiration. She wagged a finger at him with ominous gusto.

"You and I are gonna be best friends again even if one of us has to kick the bucket in order for it to happen. Don't even try to resist it – _me_ , I mean. I'm unresistable," she boasted.

"…Irresistible, you mean."

"Huh?"

"You're irresistible," he automatically corrected.

…he paused. And quietly closed his eyes, chagrin palpable in his ensuing silence.

She could not help herself, she snickered. _He had fallen for it, hook, line and sinker._

He reopened his eyes at her glee, and quietly glared at her.

"I cannot believe you," he muttered under his breath. She heard him, all the same.

"Does that make me unbelievably irresistible now?" she quipped unrepentantly. Even half hungover and looking nowhere near her best, she still managed to exude stunning appeal. That impish glitter of her catlike eyes. The faint vulpine smirk curling her lips. He was drawn to her, all over again. "Don't fight the inevitable. You won't win~"

The elevator doors dinged open just as she finished her bold little statement, allowing her to sail right out without having to face the immediate consequences of her daring declaration. He watched her saunter off with feline smugness, and fought the urge to run his hand through his hair in aggravation.

 _Did she think that he did not already know all that?_

It was exactly what he was afraid of.

* * *

His car was a sweet, sleek beast of a vehicle, and even if she was no gearhead, she could still recognize expensive engineering and design when she saw it. Predictably, it was _white_. Also, so immaculately polished, staring at it hurt her eyes. And her head. His car was a vehicle of punishment for every single, poor, hungover schmuck regretting their life choices the evening before, she promptly decided. Pun intended.

Squinting, she dug out her sunglass and slipped it on, and then turned to him as the valet drove the low slung, purring coupe over to the main foyer of the resort. "I can make my way back to Tokyo myself, you know." She decided that this would be an opportune moment to remind him of her self-sufficiency, just to be contrary.

Tsukasa accepted the key from the valet as the latter emerged from the driver's seat, tipped the man for his service, and glanced exasperatedly at the redhead. _Why was everything always so difficult with her?_

"…Just get in the car."

He stashed their bags in the boot. But of course she never listened to anything he said, just stood there and contemplated her options instead. He shut the boot and walked over to the passenger side, opened the door, and _looked_ at her.

"Rindou."

The way he spoke her name with just that faintest tinge of annoyance fascinated her more than anything else. She preferred his irritation over his remote, frigid iciness, she quickly concluded. The former was so much closer to the dynamics of their relationship in the past, and she could make him crack if she just aggravated him more, she was sure.

So at last, Rindou obediently crawled into the vehicle. Eishi shut the door and got into his side.

"Seatbelt," he reminded her stoically while securing his own. He had always been strait-laced like that. She strapped on her seatbelt, and off they went.

 _Two estranged, ex-best friends on a merry, impromptu road trip. What was the worst that could happen, right?_

Rindou immediately dug out her phone, opened the Line app, and sent a long string of animated, angry emojis to Kuga. She didn't expect him to reply, but less than a few seconds later, her device vibrated with an incoming message.

 **[Kuga]** Don't gimme that load of crap.

 **[Rindou]** The heck are you texting and driving, idiot? Keep your eyes on the road!

 **[Kuga]** Yeah, 'bout that. I'm not.

 **[Rindou]** Not what?

 **[Kuga]** Driving.

 **[Rindou]** Where. Are. You?

 **[Kuga]** Still at the resort.

 **[Rindou]** WHAT. Tsukasa said that you already left!

 **[Kuga]** Yeah, I texted him earlier and pawned you off on him. He didn't seem to mind.

Rindou growled under her breath in indignation and proceeded to fill her textbox with even more angry emojis. Then she hit send. It was very satisfying.

 **[Kuga]** You're welcome. You two should have ended up in bed together last night. That man's a frowny and upset ball of something this morning. At least put him out of the misery you stuffed him into all these years, ya witch.

Rindou turned red. She scowled at the screen.

 **[Rindou]** S'not like that!

 **[Kuga]** It kinda is exactly like that. How long have I been stuck between you two again?

 **[Rindou]** Speaking of, don't think I have forgotten what you did last night.

 **[Kuga]** Good. Don't forget. You owe me big.

 **[Rindou]** I'm gonna make Tsukasa turn this car around and then

 **[Kuga]** Nope. Deal with him yourself. I'm not wasting the rest of my awesome weekend on you dopes.

 **[Rindou]** OI!

 **[Kuga]** Come back during business hours. This hotline is closed. Peace out.

Kuga flooded the chat with a whole bunch of holiday, party and booze emojis, which was incredibly irritating to see on the receiving end.

She glowered at her phone, incredibly tempted to do something downright childish like blow up his inbox with all kinds of nonsensical messages, but then her headache was coming back to plague her with a vengeance again, and so she dropped her phone on her lap and massaged her temples instead.

"…If you're going to throw up, there's a sickness bag in the glove compartment."

She turned to Tsukasa and transferred her frown over to him. Since his attention was still fixed on the road, he failed to appreciate the fine nuances of her piqued expression.

"Who puts stuff like that in their car?"

He did. He was always immaculately prepared for every contingency. She peered at him over the rim of her shades.

"Do you have pillows stowed somewhere too?"

He took his eyes off of the road briefly to peruse her.

"…A pillow is not an emergency necessity."

She huffed at him.

"I s'pose there are no emergency munchies too? …Your emergency supplies suck."

"This is not a party bus, Rindou."

"Obviously not – this would be a very sad party bus otherwise." She started randomly pressing the many buttons on the sleek interface of her window panel, curious to see what they did. Oops, that was for the sunroof. Ah, the tinted side window. _Ooh_ , that one warmed her butt, nice! Volume control. Reading lights! She finally found the knob that reclined the back of her seat, and she twisted it until it could go no further.

"I'm gonna take a nap," she announced, kicking her sneakers off and curling onto the soft, comfortable leather upholstery. She rested on her side, facing him. She was still wearing her sunglasses so that allowed her to study his profile without being too obvious about it. "Wake me up if you need to take a break at the wheel."

He sent her another cursory stare, an inscrutable expression flitting briefly across his face at her comment. He did not know what to make of their relationship; how they were still able to coexist so amicably even with all the issues hanging between them, yet to be resolved. It was uncanny; the way their lives could divide and run completely separate from each other's for the last five years, yet still simply, seamlessly, reconnect again on an innate, intrinsic level…as if she had never truly left at all.

Or maybe it was just her charm at work, _again_. She had always been good at barging into his life and then making herself an integral part of it. It was the 'making sure she stayed' bit that he was still struggling with.

He stiffly turned his attention back to the road.

"…Noted."

* * *

About two hours later, she started to stir awake. They were still on the road. She made a grumpy, churrish sound and rubbed her cheek drowsily against the headrest. Her shades had fallen off sometime back during her nap. Her eyes opened briefly, then slowly slipped shut again. She dozed for a while more before she rolled onto her back. Stretching out indulgently, she moaned with languid relief as stiff muscles uncoiled and loosened. Her voice was husky from slumber when she spoke.

"…Are we back in Tokyo yet?"

Her companion turned his attention to her momentarily. She blinked at him sleepily. He returned his eyes to the road.

His response was soft.

"No. There's still another hour more to go."

"M'kay…" She lazily returned her seat to the upright position, and briefly watched the countryside scenery pass them by.

"Your phone's been buzzing nonstop," he pointed out, and with a sigh, she picked up the device and started to scroll through the notifications. Then she read the emails. Since there was nothing else to do, she sighed again and began to reply to them, too. She made faces as she dealt with the endless communique that was work, typing furiously away and trying her hardest to catch up with all the message chains and clear out as much of her inbox as possible. It was a hard lesson to learn when she had first started out. Nobody was going to do her paperwork for her anymore, and if she left them untended for too long, they multiplied, much to her horror.

For goodness's sake, she had only gone off grid for a couple of days!

"Is there a problem?"

She shook her head distractedly at his not-too-subtle attempt to figure out what was going on. "Just work stuff."

…He barely knew her anymore, he realized. Or at least, he barely knew what was going on in her life anymore. What was she doing now? Where had she gone after she left Tootsuki…after she left his side? What were the things she liked to do now, what did she loved to eat? Her favorite teas? Did she have anyone important in her life at the moment? A lover? A significant other? Someone who made her irrevocably happy where he had failed? His grip tightened on the steering wheel at the thought, and suddenly, he was aggravated by this situation of 'not knowing.'

And not knowing was bad, because it meant he was not in control at all, and not being in control meant that he was anxious and jealous and uneasy, wondering when she was going to take off again, wondering if there was anyone waiting elsewhere for her to fly back into their arms, gripped by this hopeless uncertainty that once again, he would lose her before he could even have his chance to catch her.

Rindou lifted her head from her phone, after hitting send on her latest email reply. Now that she had slept away her migraine, she was all bright eyed and bushy tailed again…and she was also starting to feel peckish, once more. "Can we make a quick snack stop? I'm getting hungry-"

Her words petered off once she caught sight of his tense expression.

"…Do you want me to take over the wheel for a sec? Or we can just stop for a while. You need a break, Tsukasa. You've been driving for some time already. C'mon-"

She reached out to touch his arm unthinkingly, and perhaps it was because he was already on edge and hardly expecting her gesture, but he recoiled from the contact.

She paused, her hand hovering in the air, surprised by his reflexive response. Then her gaze slowly darkened with understanding. She silently withdrew, and literally sat on her hand so that she would not startle him with her spontaneity again.

"…Sorry," she muttered, and the previous shine in her eyes became just a bit dimmer.

They drove in tense silence for the next ten minutes before the sign for a rest stop came up. Eishi made the turn wordlessly, and it wasn't long before they arrived before the simple, humble landmark, a restroom nestled into the side of the winding mountain roads, with a short dirt driveway for travelers to park their vehicles as they took a break from the road and answered the call of nature. He pulled the car to a stop, and they just sat there.

Rindou bit her lip, and she turned to Eishi, apologetic.

"I forgot. I won't…do it anymore."

There was something in her unsure, bewildered expression that pained him, too. That look did not belong on her face. The dull ache in his chest intensified. Hurting her hurt him as well, he realized dimly.

His expression blanked.

"…I-"

Was he trying to offer an explanation? An apology? A demand that the last thing he needed from her was even more space?

"S'okay," she cut him off softly before he could even figure out what it was he had been about to say. Her lips quirked, but her smile trembled faintly.

She took her gaze away, shifted her attention to the window instead, shoulders slumping, looking outside wistfully.

This price of penitence…was pain. Was it truly even worth all this mutual distress, he grimly wondered. He had never wanted her to dreadhim, or learn to tread around him in trepidation.

He stared longingly at her profile, felt the gap stretching between them with stark clarity, wider than a bottomless chasm. It was an agonizingly familiar experience. His anxiety silently grew.

But there was nothing he could say. Every time he tried, he inevitably made things worse.

Woodenly, he fixed his bleak eyes ahead and continued to drive.

* * *

 _::owari::_

* * *

 **Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:**

Sometimes it's all too easy to fall back to familiarity, to how things used to be in the past. But forgiveness and trust are so much harder to earn all over again. *shrugs*

 **xXxXxXxXxX**

Your reviews make me update faster; so please leave a comment if you like this fic!

-sllebswap


	6. Chapter 6

**Title:** Lost and Found

 **Author:** sllebswap

 **Characters/Pairing:** Kobayashi Rindou and Tsukasa Eishi

 **Type:** Continuous (InComplete)

 **Genre:** Romance/General

 **Word Count:** 4876

 **Rating:** T (Contains content not suitable for children)

 **Disclaimer:** Shokugeki no Souma belongs to Tsukuda-san.

 **Summary:** Loss was like this. It was her stricken face, echoing in his mind. Her anguish, spearing through his chest. The memory of her, breaking in his arms.

 **Verse:** Canon Divergent AU

 **Chapter Last Revised on:** 05/05/18

* * *

 **love lockdown**

* * *

Her fingertips were stained a pale waxy yellow as she peeled the komikan that she had just pulled out of the paper bag. It was already her fourth one, but the tiny fruits were so tart and sweet and bursting with juice, she just could not stop snacking on them. They had bought these miniature mandarins from a roadside stall on the way down the mountains, right in front of the little orchard where the citruses had just been freshly plucked. It was harvesting season and Rindou was pleased to have sampled some of the ripest, tastiest ones. She glanced at her companion, tossing the rinds into a small plastic bag beside her and then popping a succulent section into her mouth.

"Are you _sure_ you don't want any?" she offered again. She had asked earlier but he had demurred. "They're really sweet and I can peel 'em for you."

He side eyed her warily. They were on the road again, having just left the mountains. He was in the process of guiding the car onto the highway that would soon get them to Tokyo. She stretched out her hand tentatively towards him, a few pieces of the komikan sitting on her palm. It was a peace offering, and she made sure not to touch him or startle him with sudden movement. He was kinda twitchy still.

"C'mon, Tsukasa. Just take some," she coaxed. "I promise I'll be quiet and stop annoying you if you do."

That did the trick. She watched with rueful amusement as he lifted one hand off the wheel to accept the slivers of oranges. He ate them quickly, slipping them into his mouth and chewing quietly, his eyes turned firmly back to the road. She started peeling more of the fruits, and just as she had promised, she did not make any further attempt at conversation. There was no need to ask if he thought that the oranges were delicious – when she handed him more, he took them. They shared the rest of the komikan until they ran out, and by then they were back in the city, and slowly meandering towards the hotel that she had been putting up at temporarily until she had found more permanent lodgings. It wasn't long before he was reluctantly pulling to a stop before the foyer.

She undid her seatbelt, gathered her things, and prepared to get out of the car. She turned to him, fingers twitching as if she wanted to touch him, but thought better of it. He had already made his stance very clear, earlier on.

 _Where did that leave them, then?_

They couldn't go backwards…so there was only forward left now…right? But _how_?

She needed to figure out this riddle – he would not accept anything less.

Rindou wanted to sigh. She had a lot to think about.

"…Thanks for driving me, I owe ya one." Her gaze met his, and her lips tipped up in a wistful, lopsided smile. "…Guess this is goodbye for now, Tsukasa-"

"Wait," he interrupted just as her hand reached for the door handle. He stretched his arm out, palm up. "Hand me your phone."

She was quizzical but did as he requested, curious to see what he intended to do. He took her mobile, pulled up the 'Call' window and typed in a series of numbers on the dial pad. Then he tapped on the green phone icon.

It didn't take long for his cell to start buzzing. He checked his screen, cancelled the call, his device automatically storing her number on Caller ID. He commanded her phone again, meticulously saving his details into her address book before returning it to her.

"You could have just asked to exchange numbers," she uttered, bemused as she eyed her phone, muting the backlight and slipping it back into the pocket of her sweater.

"I prefer to be certain," he responded. He wasn't leaving anything to chance this time around.

Her brow lifted.

"Do this every time you meet someone new?"

"No." _Only you._

There was a significant pause before he continued again, his words deliberate, measured. He was trying not to seem too eager, impatient. He didn't quite succeed, but then again, he didn't really care, either. "I want to see you again. Tomorrow."

She was visibly surprised by his request…or rather, it seemed more like a demand.

"Huh? What for?" she blurted out, baffled. He had as much as implied earlier that he didn't want too much to do with her anymore, but now he would like to arrange a meeting? _Tomorrow?_

 _Did he have to spell everything out for her?_ He stared at her.

"I want to cook for you."

"You mean; eat at your restaurant?" she asked, comprehension flooding her features. She had never been to his restaurant before, the culmination of all of his hard work, the ingenious pinnacle of his culinary skills. He had a great team working for him now, helping to bring his immaculate creations to life, delighting and aweing all privileged enough to experience his gourmet visions. She was curious, she had to admit. It had been so long since she had tasted his cooking, _but_ …

"No. At my place." It had to be _perfect_ , so he had every intention to make everything he was going to set before her from scratch, by himself. The others in the restaurant would just get underfoot, and he didn't want anyone else feeding her, anyway. Her sighs of pleasure, her moans of delight, her flushed happiness, they were wholly his to claim and he would make her surrender it all to him-

" _Oh_." She bit her lip, hesitating. "I don't think that's a good idea, actually."

His thoughts immediately ground to a halt.

"…What?" He was in disbelief. She _never_ refused food. Most importantly of all, _she never refused his food_.

"At any rate, I won't be around tomorrow, anyway," Rindou continued as if he hadn't just expressed his incredulity. "Thanks for the offer. Maybe I'll, _uh_ , take you up on it another time."

That was a lie. He could tell, by the way she was avoiding his gaze, suddenly finding the hem of her pullover very interesting. She had no intention whatsoever to do any such thing.

He was frowning, struggling to figure out _why_. He was also trying not to get upset _and_ offended. Food had always been the common denominator for them both, but here she was, denying him that connection, this link that bridged their separate worlds, that afforded him the opportunity to touch her intimately the only way that he was allowed to. _Also_ -

"What do you mean, 'you won't be around tomorrow?'" he asked.

"An emergency cropped up at work," she responded. "I'll be back within a week. I hope."

This was just getting better and better.

"Where are you going?"

She shrugged.

"South America."

The furrow between his brows deepened.

"What is it exactly that you do?" He was certain that she no longer cooked…at least not professionally. He would have found her faster if that had been so.

Another shrug.

"I dabble," she replied vaguely. "A little bit of this, a little bit of that…"

That answered _nothing_ of his question, at all. He was not pleased.

"Are you ever going to give me a straight answer?"

He was starting to get irritated, but for some reason, his annoyance amused her.

"I find precious things that people seek," she hedged, trying not to smile at his frustration. "Anyway, I gotta go and pack now. Goodbye, Tsukasa."

She opened the door and slipped out. She used her hip to check the door shut behind her, and then she walked over to the car boot to get her bag. He emerged from his side of the car too, and met her at the rear. The trunk eased open automatically, and he retrieved her belonging for her.

She sent him an exasperated look. "I don't know if you know what 'goodbye' means, Tsukasa. It defeats the purpose of me saying it in the first place if you're just going to keep following me around."

"Exactly. You were the one who said goodbye – I never did," he pointed out. "Our conversation's not over yet."

He had, once again, taken possession of her bag and wasn't going to give it back until he was good and ready. She was starting to detect a pattern here.

"What; you wanna check out where I stay here too? You're really paranoid, aren't you?"

Eishi handed the car key over to the valet, and then he headed towards the hotel entrance. She trailed after him, nonplussed. Was he intending to invite himself into her room, next?

"Aren't you tired from driving?" she continued to ask. "Don't you wanna go home and rest or something?"

He glanced at her.

"Or you can come home with me and I'll show you my place," he told her. "I'll also make food for you." He wasn't even embarrassed to make that kind of offer... _again_. In fact, he seemed very determined to feed her. She gave him a funny look.

"What am I? A homeless cat for you to lure home with food and then feed and keep?" she retorted. He actually looked like he was seriously considering the option, and she rolled her eyes and pulled ahead. _What was with this guy_ , she could not help but wonder not for the first time. He kept blowing hot and cold with her and she wished that he would just pick one mood and stick to it already. One moment he wanted as little to do with her as possible, and then the next he could not seem to leave her be. He was very confusing and she was starting to think that maybe he was doing this deliberately just to drive her up the wall, too.

What a pair they made, she huffed inwardly, making each other perfectly miserable-

"Rindou-san, Rindou-san! Over here!" A familiar voice called her name in an accented lilt, and the redhead instinctively turned towards the lobby lounge of the hotel to seek the source. Her eyes quickly landed on a familiar, petite, dark haired figure.

"Renata! What are you doing in Tokyo? Aren't we supposed to meet in Manaus the day after tomorrow?"

Eishi watched curiously as Rindou went straight over to greet the foreigner. The latter had glowing almond skin and coffee brown eyes. Her features were soft and friendly, and she was obviously relieved to see Rindou.

"Rindou-san, I'm so sorry to disturb you on your vacation, but the others asked me to check in on you since I was the nearest and just completed my assignment in Busan. Did you see the message with the arrangements already?"

Rindou petted the shorter woman on the shoulder. "Yep, just saw 'em this morning. Was kinda busy the last few days and didn't check my mail at all, but don't worry 'bout that. I'll be ready to roll tomorrow. We're heading out on the same flights?"

"Yes, we are."

"Any idea what happened? I thought that operations in Brazil already stabilized."

A frown that was part distaste, part worry crossed the other female's face. "It's the poachers again. They know that we are dealing with the local tribespeople directly and they are determined to undermine us. They are starting to escalate in violence towards the villagers and the chief wants us to solve this problem or he won't allow any of his people to work with us anymore, regardless of the benefits."

Rindou scowled and muttered unflattering things under her breath. "And I guess the local authorities are doing fuck all again to deal with the problem?"

Renata smiled. "Looks like we're on our own as usual, Rindou-san. Paulo and Bernard will give us more details when we meet them at the Amazon basin – they are already there probing the situation, so we should have a clearer picture soon."

"Gotcha. S'business as usual, huh." The redhead gestured to the reception area some ways ahead. "You got a room for the night already?"

Her Venezuelan companion shook her head. "I was waiting for you – I wasn't even sure that you were staying here until you walked in."

"Well, you and your super tracking skills found me, alright. Let's go get you a room so you can be well rested and we can use your superpowers for more good tomorrow~"

Eishi decided to make his presence known before the two women started towards the reception. He cleared his throat and shifted slightly, catching the females' attention. He only had eyes for one, however.

"What's that about poachers?" Eishi finally interjected. He was pretty sure that he had just heard some rather alarming things, though the women spoke of them so lightly he was almost lulled to believe otherwise. _Amazon basin_? _Poachers? Escalating violence?_ What on earth had she gotten herself involved in?

Rindou suddenly seemed to remember his existence. She stared at him like she was vaguely surprised that he was still there. Renata also looked curiously at the attractive Japanese man. He was very distinctive in appearance, tall, leanly build and bearing sculpted, aristocratic good looks, and the way he was staring at Rindou seemed to hint of potent, possessive familiarity. Which was intriguing…because she had never heard Rindou-san mention having a boyfriend or a lover waiting for her back home.

"Rindou-san, this is…?"

The redhead was reluctant to make the introductions. She had been trying to get Eishi to leave as quickly as possible but getting rid of him was proving to be harder than she had first thought. _Did he used to be this exasperatingly stubborn and mulish?_

"This is Tsukasa Eishi. He's an old classmate."

Eishi sent her a vaguely annoyed look.

"I'm more than just your old classmate, Rindou." And of course he promptly stopped short of explaining the actual nature of their relationship. Renata was looking too interested for her own good, too.

Rindou scowled at her ex-best friend before hurriedly making an attempt at damage control. "Ignore him; he's just being overly dramatic 'coz he's still mad at me for something I did a long time ago."

Renata looked from one to the other. They both appeared visibly irritated with each other, but at the same time, their body language revealed otherwise. _Fascinating_. The slightly plump, dark haired woman politely stretched out her hand for Eishi to shake. The white-haired man cordially mirrored the gesture.

"A pleasure, Tsukasa-san. I'm sorry that your reunion with Rindou-san has been interrupted so abruptly. You must have lots to catch up on."

"Actually, we're done here," Rindou interrupted before Eishi could return the comment. She also reached out to grab her bag from him, tugging vigorously when he _still_ refused to let go. "Tsukasa, thanks for the ride. You really should go, _now_."

Much to her dismay, he was holding firm and had no intention to back down gracefully at all. Renata looked from her unusually ruffled colleague to the man who was so easily flustering her, with nothing more than his presence alone. _Curiouser and curiouser._

As much as she would have loved to pry, Renata also recognized that she was being intrusive and that these two probably had matters to straighten out in private.

"…I shall head over to the reception desk first to collect my keycard," the Venezuelan tactfully commented. "Rindou-san, I'll drop you a text once I've settled into my room. Goodbye, Tsukasa-san."

"Ah, no- Renata, wait-"

Her friend-slash-coworker smiled and departed with a friendly wave.

Rindou was glowering at Eishi. "What do you think you are doing," she barked. How audacious could he be?

"You still haven't answered my question," he pointed out. His lavender gaze quietly sharpened. "What's this about poachers?"

She was fuming. He was so bossy and pigheaded! "I'm not obligated to tell you everything, you know."

He did not deny that. He also gave her a level look that plainly implied he had all the time in the world and would not mind taking up all of hers as well if that was how she wanted to do this. She _growled_. His brow lifted.

"…Tangling with poachers sometimes is part and parcel of my work," she explained flatly. "It's an occupational hazard, if you will."

His brow furrowed at her reply. "Poachers are armed and dangerous," he pointed out. _Just what kind of work was she doing, again?_

" _No_ - _duh_ ," she retorted, shrugging. "They may be armed and dangerous, but so am I. As are my teammates."

He narrowed his eyes at her, but before he could say anything more, she interjected. "Look; I know what I'm doing and exactly what kind of people I'm up against. I've been doing this for a few years already. Your concern is unnecessary and entirely misplaced."

"Is it illegal, whatever it is that you're involved in?" he asked without preamble. She had to give it to him; he didn't even try to beat around the bush.

"No!"

"But you won't tell me anything more."

She crossed her arms over chest. "I'm an international woman of mystery – can we just leave it at that and move on? Why does it matter, anyway-"

He was starting to become annoyed, as well.

"It matters because you and I still have unfinished business," he cut her off. "Or are you only intending to come back here after another five years? Perhaps you don't even intend to return at all?"

She was frowning at him again, aggravated by his prickly demeanor. "Perhaps I won't," she countered brashly. "All I'm getting so far for coming back here is a fat lot of grief from you. I'm only making you so unhappy and angry and that was never my intention at all. I'm sorry, Tsukasa. Maybe this was all too sudden. Maybe my approach was all wrong. Maybe we should take this opportunity to cool down and then try to communicate again only when we're both calm and impartial."

"Calm and impartial," he repeated blankly. He was also staring at her like he thought she was full of it. "Do you really think that is realistically achievable as far as we are concerned."

 _No_. No, she did not think so. "Yes," she claimed, lying through her teeth. "We can always approach this calmly and impartially through indirect modes of communication! …Such as… _uh_ …" Her mind went blank and she briefly scrambled for a solution. " _Uh_ …such as email! Or through letters…?!"

He continued to stare flatly at her.

"Are you out of your mind?"

She took advantage of his incredulity to grab her bag again. And this time, when she pulled, he let go of the duffel. She quickly slung the bag over her shoulder before he could steal it back from her.

"Maybe I am," she grumbled. Here she was making a concentrated effort to save their friendship, and she didn't see him throwing out any useful suggestions. "Why else would I still be trying so hard to put up with you even though you're being so obnoxiously disagreeable? Anyway, this is really goodbye." _For now, at least._

He said nothing, but there was a peculiarly sharp, hard expression on his handsome, aquiline features that gave her considerable pause.

"I won't let you walk off and disappear again, Rindou," he told her steadily. She shot him a grouchy look.

"You can't stop me from leaving," she muttered, matter-of-fact. What was he going to do, kidnap her? The idea was so ludicrous it did not even bear entertaining. Besides, it wasn't as if she really actually intended to _never_ return. She had promised that they were going to try to fix this, and she wasn't going to renege on any more of her promises to him. He already wasn't going to let her live the last one down. If she did it again, he probably would hold it against her all the way into their next lives or something. _Seriously, when did this guy become so petty?_

"I have no intention to."

She did a subtle double take at his stoic reply and shot him a bewildered stare. Then she grew suspicious. What was he up to now? For someone who had been obstinately, _doggedly_ insistent ever since they met each other again, he was suddenly surrendering _too_ easily. Not that she wanted him to continue to be dogged about this but she also _knew_ him. He never gave up without a fight, and _if_ it seemed like he did, it was most definitely because he had something else hidden up his sleeve.

She silently narrowed her eyes at him, but he was implacable.

"You've a long flight ahead of you tomorrow," he commented shortly. "Get as much rest as you can. I'll see you again soon."

And then he was abruptly gone, leaving her feeling strangely bereft and at odds with herself. She shook that peculiarly forlorn feeling away, but could not stop wondering what he meant. He would see her again _soon_? _He couldn't be doing what she thought he would do, right?_

Rindou shook her head again. Of course not. She was overthinking it. The redhead started to meander towards the lift lobby, resolved to put this issue aside for now. She would deal with Tsukasa when she returned to Japan.

For now, work took priority and she had a lot of preparations to get ready before her flight.

* * *

The problem when it came to leading a jet setting lifestyle were the differing time zones. And the jetlag. Rindou was not a huge fan of flying commercial either, but at least her boss was sympathetic enough to put her on business class whenever she had to fly – which, in her line of work, was _very_ frequent. The upside was that she loved her job dearly and would not trade it for any other type of work in the world. It was interesting and challenging, it was unique and fun and she got to meet all sorts of people all over the world and sample all kinds of delicious food, her colleagues were a cool bunch and she worked well with them, and lastly, the pay was pretty _damn_ good. Sure, the work hours were extremely irregular, there was always a high possibility that she would be activated anytime for a sudden assignment that just came in, and sometimes the work situations could get very hairy, _very_ quickly, but everyone experienced those kind of days too, right? It was perfectly _normal_.

The next morning, together with Renata, she breezed through the customs checkpoint of Narita International Airport and waited at the departure lounge for boarding call. The two women were used to flying often and accommodating abrupt changes in travel plans, so they had packed light – strictly essentials only – ever ready to hit the road anytime soon. They had a quick briefing with each other earlier, swapping updates and information on what they know with regards to the assignment, and now both were quiet, steeped in their own thoughts. Rindou was especially on edge and fidgety for some reason, as if she just could not wait to get on the plane and leave this land she was born in.

Renata contemplated her friend and coworker's twitchy demeanor with bemusement. She wondered if Rindou's behavior had anything to do with the handsome man she had briefly met yesterday.

"Rindou-san, that Tsukasa-san from yesterday, he's _that_ Tsukasa Eishi, right? The very famous French Chef based in Tokyo? Owner chef of Michelin 3-star restaurant _Chateau_?"

"Huh?" Rindou was visibly jolted by the questions, but she composed herself quickly enough. She shrugged. "Yeah, he is."

"And you were ex-schoolmates…though he seems to imply that you two were more than that…" Renata subtly, curiously, probed.

Rindou sighed. It seemed like she would not be able to escape the headache that was Tsukasa _even_ when the man in question was not present.

"…We were best friends," she acknowledged, a bit reluctantly. Even now, this wound was still a bit raw, and felt too private to share with anyone. "But he's mad at me now, because I left Japan without a word years ago. There were also some other complicated stuff that happened between us before that, and that was all on me too, so you can say that we share a tangled history."

The dark-skinned Venezuelan contemplated what the other woman had just shared. "I don't think your friend is asmad at you as you believe," she observed at last. "If anything, he seems very intensely focused on you."

Or at least it seemed to Renata that was the case. She might be wrong of course, but the man was obviously concerned for Rindou when he overheard their conversation yesterday.

Rindou scoffed.

"He's like this now, but trust me, he was a giant dork back when we were still in school." Despite herself, a flitting grin crossed her face at the nostalgic memory. "He was a lot cuter last time, too. Totally unlike his grumpy ice goblin self now."

Renata grinned, as well.

" _Goblin_? Come on, Rindou-san. I'm not into men and even I have to acknowledge that he is awfully good looking."

"He's awfully something alright," the stubborn redhead muttered uncharitably. At this point, she felt entitled to her disgruntlement, after all the sleep she had lost over him the night before. She couldn't even drink her frustrations away, due to work.

"Uh-huh. Your smoldering hot ex is gunning straight for you and you're telling me that you're unmoved?"

"Ex- _best friend_ ," Rindou corrected with exasperation. Why were the people around her always forming inaccurate conclusions as and when they pleased whenever it came to Tsukasa and herself?

"Sure. And Denial is just a river in Egypt, right?"

"There's nothing to deny," Rindou grumbled, and the subject was promptly dropped when the boarding call was announced. _Saved by the bell_.

The women boarded their flight without delay, and were very soon seated in their assigned places, their carry-ons stowed neatly in the overhead compartments. It was going to be a long haul flight so Rindou was getting settled in, intending to get some much needed rest the moment the aircraft was on its merry way to Chicago. From there, they would have to catch a domestic transfer to Miami, and then grab one more flight out in order to arrive in Manaus, the gateway to the Amazon Rainforest.

The redhead had just put on her seatbelt and closed her eyes when an astonishingly familiar tenor reached her ears.

"Excuse me."

She _stilled_ , and her eyes immediately snapped open. Sure enough, she was promptly greeted by a sight that made her jaw drop as well. Across the aisle, even Renata was staring in surprise, so Rindou was glad that she wasn't the only one gaping like an idiot. The petite, dark haired woman was also struggling not to laugh, though – _oho_ , the onboard entertainment for this flight was going to be absolutely sterling at this rate.

Standing right before Rindou, claiming the seat that adjoined hers to be more precise, _was the smoldering hot ex-best friend_.

" _Tsukasa_. What are you doing here," Rindou sounded strangled. _No, seriously._ _What was he doing here?_

The white haired man stowed an overnight bag on his end of the overhead compartment, and then he sat down beside her. He turned to look at her, nonchalant as if he had every cause to be present as well, on the same flight out to Chicago as they were.

"Obviously, I'm coming with you and Renata-san to Brazil."

Rindou bolted straight up in her seat, her features scrunching into an incredulous frown. "The hell you are! Do you think we're going on a holiday? You can't just up and decide to do this!"

"Of course I can. I contacted your boss and engaged your services. He was very accommodating and has already agreed to this arrangement." He made no mention of the calls that he had to make in order to carry this feat off. He had to pull some strings and cash in some favors, but she wasn't the only one who possessed resourceful contacts anymore, and since that he had a general idea of what she did, finding out more was simply a matter of posing the right questions to the right people.

She should also know better by now; once he had decided on a course of action, there was no more hesitation to be had. He had always been the kind to pursue his goals relentlessly until he had achieved them.

If Rindou's eyes grew any wider, her eyeballs would fall out. She could not believe this. _This guy. He went right over her head and straight to her boss!_

There had to be a limit even with his tenacious persistence! She spluttered. Engaged her services? _Engaged her services?_

 _She was going to engage her feet up his behind!_

" _Oi,_ does this even makes sense to you? What do you even need me for, you, you-"

"You said that you find precious things people seek." His gaze centered steadily, unerringly, on hers.

"There's a precious thing that I've lost, and you are the only one who can find and return it to me."

* * *

 _::owari::_

* * *

 **Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:**

It has always been my intention to advance the plot of 'Lost and Found' to the backdrop of the Amazon Rainforest (because I've been hankering to do an Indiana Jones-esque, action/adventure type of storyline), so I was beyond delighted when Chapter 264 of SnS dropped and it literally became canon that Eishi and Rindou actually went adventuring together in the South Americas, haha!

In 'Lost and Found' verse, obviously the two never made it to their post!grad trip…but they are making up for it now…five years later! :p

 **xXxXxXxXxX**

FYI, Renata is my OC. As are Bernard and Paulo. Don't worry; they are all supporting characters, and will not be having any central roles to the plot!

 **xXxXxXxXxX**

Your reviews make me update faster; so please leave a comment if you like this fic!

-sllebswap


	7. Chapter 7

**Title:** Lost and Found

 **Author:** sllebswap

 **Characters/Pairing:** Kobayashi Rindou and Tsukasa Eishi

 **Type:** Continuous (InComplete)

 **Genre:** Romance/General

 **Word Count:** 5168

 **Rating:** T (Contains content not suitable for children)

 **Disclaimer:** Shokugeki no Souma belongs to Tsukuda-san.

 **Summary:** Loss was like this. It was her stricken face, echoing in his mind. Her anguish, spearing through his chest. The memory of her, breaking in his arms.

 **Verse:** Canon Divergent AU

 **Chapter Last Revised on:** 26/10/18

* * *

 **why why why**

* * *

Three hours into the flight, Rindou was still frowning disgruntledly at her unwanted traveling companion.

It was hard to believe that this was actually happening, but unfortunately for her, all the things that he had claimed was true. He was really coming along with the full support and knowledge of her boss. All the arrangements had been made, the required paperwork and visas prepared and secured. Rindou had even called her boss to confirm it, and much to her displeasure, the big man had even told her to 'play nice' and to 'not intimidate the client.'

As if Tsukasa could be that easily _intimidated_. Or rather, if _only_ it was so, but no. Since he had already resolved to do things to such an extent, she knew that he would not be swayed from this incredibly _stupid_ decision.

"…How long are you going to keep glaring at me?" Said man who had made said stupid decision finally turned his head to look at her. She narrowed her eyes at him, until they were mere slits. She had initially been so sorry and contrite when she went to him seeking to patch things up between them, but now she was feeling a lot less sorry and contrite now, thanks to his pigheadedness.

"You're so _stupid_ ," she muttered without hesitation but without much venom either, just looking disdainfully at him. "And you're severely underestimating the place we're going if you think that this is gonna be a walk in the park."

"…I never thought that this was going to be easy," he replied quietly, and she suddenly had the disconcerting feeling that it wasn't just this trip that he was referring to anymore. The redhead willfully ignored that voice in her head and plowed on determinedly.

"Does that mean you've changed your mind and will take a flight back to Tokyo once we arrive at Chicago?" she asked.

"…No, I'm still going regardless of your objections."

She scowled, and her nose scrunched with her displeasure. "My job's not to babysit you, you know, despite whatever deal you've made with my boss. Besides, whatever you've lost and need me to find can't possibly be in Brazil too; you didn't actually have to come with. What about Chateau?" she demanded to know. "I still can't believe you actually left your restaurant just like that."

There was something that she seemed to be mistaking, here, and he could not help but feel the need to set things straight, immediately. The last time they suffered a communication breakdown revolving this particular topic, she had disappeared on him so immaculately, he was still crippled by the loss.

"My life does not revolve entirely around cooking."

She looked at him in complete disbelief. There was so much disbelief on her expression that he started to feel irritated, just a bit.

"Really…? Like what else does your life revolve around?" she asked, skeptically. "Even all your little hobbies revolved around working to accentuate your skills in the kitchen…as far as I used to know of, at least."

"I have other hobbies," he uttered, feeling the need to defend himself for some reason. She made it sound like he did nothing else _but_ cooking. While that was mostly true, it wasn't as if he lived in the kitchen 24/7. "I run. I do cross training. Sometimes I take part in marathons. I read books and I watch movies. Sometimes I go for coffee with friends. I do housework. I do laundry. They keep me busy enough."

…Only he would see housework and laundry as a hobby.

"You must be really fun to have around at parties," she muttered, and now he was the one glowering at her. Despite her nagging displeasure with him, it was hard not to snicker at his annoyance – it was almost like the good old days, all over again. "How does your partner even put up with you."

His brow furrowed.

"I'm not dating anyone," he told her. _Did she think that there was someone else?_

"Too busy with housework and laundry?" she mused, her golden eyes glinting with mirth. He had always been the persnickety, fastidious sort. Whoever ended up with him was going to have a lot to put up with.

"Work takes up a lot of my time," he conceded.

"I'm not surprised. It must have taken a lot of effort to build up Chateau. I've heard a lot of amazing things," she commented.

He could not help but feel ridiculously pleased by her honest admiration. "If you already know all that, then let me cook for you already," he insisted once more.

She was half amused, half exasperated by his single-minded determination. "Are you seriously coming all the way out here just because of this, Tsukasa."

He blithely changed the subject.

"Are you seeing anyone?" he asked flat out. It was something he was very intent to know. Not for the first time, he also wondered just how much of a masochist he was, asking a question he already more or less could guess the answer to.

A woman like her would have no shortage of suitors vying for her heart. She was right. He really was _stupid_. There was once when she was beside him all the time – beautiful, vivacious, loyal – so close that all he had to do was reach out and he would touch her, and she had given everything to him, then. He, unfortunately, was preoccupied with the goals and ambitions that he had set for himself, and had not seen the treasure that was beside him all along until it was too late.

She looked at him bemusedly. He stared back at her and waited. She shook her head.

"Not at the moment, no. Unfortunately, not a lot of people can accept a girlfriend who's always jetting off to some random exotic place halfway across the world."

Something that felt very much like tension eased in his gut at her candid reply. It was relief. His mood improved. Call him selfish, but he didn't want to _think_ about her being with anyone, let alone entertain the idea of her liking someone enough to want to commit to a relationship with them. He started to feel cautiously optimistic. For whatever reason, she wasn't dating anyone at the moment. He still had a chance.

Not that he would have given up easily even if the odds were stacked heavily against his favor.

"…Good," he uttered, and only realized that he had openly announced his thoughts when she was staring at him.

"Good…?" she echoed, and for a moment, he wondered if he should reconsider his candidness.

No. _No_. He wasn't going to hide beneath all the subterfuge and vague second guessings anymore. He was here for a reason, and if that reason was ever going to come to fruition, then he had to make his intention clear.

"Yes. I won't share…your attention."

She looked at him, faintly surprise by his bluntness. Blinked. Then she shrugged off his quiet intensity, and smirked wryly.

"Don't worry. Even if I'm in a relationship, I'm still perfectly professional when it comes to finding whatever it is you need me to look for. 'Sides, you aren't exactly an easy person to ignore."

He stilled, acutely aware, much to his chagrin, that his meaning had flown right over her head. Just across the aisle on Rindou's other side, Renata, who had overheard bits and pieces of the conversation, was trying not to feel too bad for the man. Her colleague was far from oblivious, and was usually teasing and playful when it came to receiving and returning harmless flirtations.

Granted, Tsukasa-san didn't seem like he was flirting. If anything, it was more like he was declaring his intent towards her, but the redhead was deftly sidestepping the issue altogether. _Very…fascinating._

"I'm gonna take a nap," Rindou declared. "You really should reconsider this whole thing, Tsukasa. I'm serious."

He watched her as she settled into her seat and turned onto her side, closing her eyes.

"…I'm serious, too," he muttered.

* * *

The multiple flight transfers were exhausting and stressful; between the flights and the transits, they have been traveling for _almost two whole days_. By the time they finally touched down in Brazil, Eishi was nursing a throbbing migraine from the vicious jetlag and the staggering time difference.

His companions seemed to fare better than him though, well used to this nomadic, jet setting lifestyle by now. If anything, they both appeared quite happy to be in the South Americas, breezing through the customs and meandering their way out of the airport with an ease and familiarity that spoke for itself. There was a palpable air of excitement and anticipation that grew amongst the women as they got nearer and nearer to the arrival hall, and Eishi could understand their lightheaded glee, once he realized that there was someone waiting to welcome them to this tropical country.

That someone in question was a huge, burly bear of a man, with arms bulging like tree trunks and a face full of thick, manly beard. Dressed in well-seasoned khakis, complete with a dusty safari hat and heavy duty, dirt streaked hiking boots, he looked like he had just ambled down from the mountains and that he could bench press a small car and throw all of them like shot put across the airport carpark, all at the same time.

Eishi watched nonplussed as Rindou unhesitatingly jogged up to the gigantic foreigner and _hugged_ him like her life depended on it. Those huge arms wrapped around the redhead with an equal amount of affection until she was almost completely engulfed in the giant's embrace.

"Bernard! I missed ya!" Floated up a muffled yell from somewhere in the vicinity of that huge barrel chest. The middle aged man laughed merrily. The passersby around them veered around the jovial, booming giant and stared at his size with something akin to awe and amazement. That made Eishi feel a bit better and less alarmed, knowing that _not_ everyone in this part of the world was built like a human tank.

" _Knuddelmaus_!" The Germanic brogue was so thick it was hard to understand what was being said. "I missed ya too, kiddo! What have you been up to lately, troublemaker? I heard from HQ that you were up North just a few weeks back, chasin' narwhals with 'em Inuits and whatnots."

"S'more like we were chasing those illegal tusk hunters chasing the narwhals. Greenpeace does fuckall up there as always and Sea Shepherd hates us. Was real _fun_ too, stumbling about in the winter dark running circles around our own tails like idiots and freezing our asses off." Rindou's command of English was impeccable – there was barely any hint of accent in her speech and she switched so fluently it was almost as if she was a native speaker.

Renata piped up, smirking faintly. "You enjoyed yourself regardless, admit it. You got to join in a traditional whale hunt once all that mess was dealt with and then you managed to wrangle some delicious recipes from the womenfolk all over the village. The Chief liked you so much he gave us the sole buying rights to their surplus game meat for the next five years…and then he kept trying to marry you off to any one of his eight sons. I thought that was funny."

Rindou made a face at her coworker and stepped back while the shorter woman took over her place. " _Psht_. He would have tried to marry you off to his sons too but you conveniently declared yourself gay."

"You could have been conveniently gay too, Rindou-san…but better you than me," Renata replied with amusement. Smiling widely, she tiptoed and kissed Bernard's whiskered cheeks. The larger man had to stoop down so that she could reach him. When they hugged, Renata's petite frame completely disappeared within Bernard's embrace. "Hello, Bernard. You look good. I'm so happy to see you."

" _Schatzi_ , you're lovely as always." Bernard's gaze was affectionate as he released the tiny female, and then his attention landed on Eishi, who had come up to stand beside Rindou.

Rindou nodded. "This is Tsukasa Eishi. He's tagging along for this trip."

The white-haired man stepped up and inclined his head ever so slightly. He offered his hand for a handshake. "Hello, Bernard-san," he greeted carefully in English as well. His accent was heavier, but still very much comprehendible. "Thank you for accommodating me at such short notice."

Instead of accepting his handshake, the man clapped Eishi on the shoulder. "Nice 'ta meet ya, Tsukasa! Not a problem at all- it's a small thing. Welcome to Brazil! Is this your first time here?"

"Yes, it is."

"Don't you worry- we'll have you wandering about like a true blue Brazilian in no time! You're Rindou's friend, yes? _Knuddelmaus_ will show you the ropes!"

Having already collected their luggage, the small group proceeded to leave the arrival hall, making their way towards the transport that had been arranged for them.

"…Knuddelmaus?" Eishi asked as they followed Renata and Bernard. The crowd in the airport naturally made way for the large German man, so it made sense to fall behind and stay close. Rindou glanced at her companion and shrugged, lips twitching at the way he was still busy trying his hardest to process everything all around him. The vibrant people, the eclectic atmosphere, the climate, the _noise_ , it was sensory overload and while Rindou _loved_ every bit of all this chaos, she wondered what he thought of all this.

"Bernard likes to give nicknames to everyone he works with. You'll probably get your own eventually," she replied. She peered closely at him. "Are you okay, though? You looked kinda…even whiter than usual."

He shook his head.

"I got a slight headache- nothing some rest won't take care of. Where are we going?"

"We'll be making a brief stop to load up on supplies, and then we'll be heading to another domestic airport about a day's drive from here to fly straight into the jungles. That's where our base is."

A large, beat up Jeep waited for them at the carpark, and it did not take long for all the luggage to be loaded. Before Rindou could call shotgun, Renata had climbed into the passenger seat beside Bernard, which relegated the remaining two to the back. Bernard's jeep was far from what anyone would deem 'uncluttered,' and case in point, the back was filled with all sorts of stuff, from toolkits to camping gear to old newspapers and empty coffee cups and…hunting rifles.

"Oops, be careful not to get entangled in those. It sucks when you trip on the straps and fall out of the car. Very embarrassing, trust me," Rindou quipped as she squeezed in after Eishi, who was staring nonplussed at the firearms lying on the floor of the carriage.

"Oh yes, be careful, Tsukasa," Bernard joined in from the front. "The safety's on, but don't go accidentally shooting yourself, hear? We need to save those bullets for those pumpkinheads who really deserve it."

Eishi turned his head mechanically and looked at Rindou.

"…You said that your work is legal and above the law, right?"

The redhead flashed him a wolfish, ominous grin and pushed him deeper into the vehicle so that she could get in as well and shut the door behind her. "S'a bit too late for you to worry about this kinda stuff, boyo. I warned you."

Eishi looked vaguely disturbed, and Renata shook her head.

"Don't tease him so much, you two. Don't worry, Tsukasa-san. We don't do illegal things."

"-Unless there's no choice, then we gotta do what we gotta do. Right, Bernard?"

"Hoho, of course, _knuddelmaus_! Anything to protect the business!"

"Will you two please stop talking like we're part of the Brazilian drug cartel?

Rindou leered at her companion, golden eyes dancing with mirth. Even after all this time, he was still so _straitlaced_ and prone to overthinking. It was good to see that he had not changed as much as she had first believed. "Are you regretting your choices now, Tsukasa?"

In the midst of all that banter and conversation, she seemed to have forgotten all about that awkwardness between them, as well as her previous annoyance at him. She was squished up against him in the cluttered back of a rusty tin can of a vehicle; hot, sweltering, uncomfortably humid, the AC did not seem to be working and the suspension was so horrible that Bernard had to apologize for the trauma every time they ran over a bump on the road.

For the first time in what seemed like years, Eishi had no idea where he was going and no plans for his immediate future. He was so far out of his usual comfort zone that he should be panicking and feeling very lost and stressed out by now, but one look at the woman beside him with her sparkling eyes and that excited, happy demeanor of hers…and his loud, clamoring mind, _always_ , constantly worrying about what's next, buzzing incessantly and insistently… _quieted_ with contentment, and he calmed.

"Rindou?"

"Yeah?"

"There are things that I still regret, but this trip won't be one of those."

* * *

Eishi had never been one to be carsick, but after a couple of hours on the road, he was very much ready to revise his lofty yet sadly mistaken opinion of his constitution.

First of all, the majority of the roads they travelled on were nothing more than dirt tracks…which made a lot of sense since they were in one of the more rural parts of this beautifully untamed, massive country. Secondly, the few stretches of road that were actually cobbled together by what could almost be passed off as asphalt were poorly maintained and riddled with potholes. Lastly and most importantly, Bernard's driving skill was something really left to be desired.

An optimistic person would call the large German an adventurous driver. The average schmuck would call him crazy and reckless, and also accuse whoever had granted the man a driving license in the first place of accessory to attempted murder. Since Eishi was the pessimistic sort, he just started to seriously consider that perhaps the man was indeed part of a mafia syndicate specializing in hit and runs, contracted to take them out.

His fellow companions were a lot less concerned than he, however. Renata was conversing with Bernard on and off in what sounded like a mixture of Spanish and Portuguese up front whereas Rindou was…napping… _again_.

He was quite amazed by her ability to drop off anywhere and anytime. He was particularly amazed that she could still doze comfortably even when the ride was _so_ bumpy. A particular deep pothole eventually bounced her awake from where she had crammed herself in the corner of the jeep, and her head made a rather loud ' _klunk'_ against the window frame that had him wincing inwardly for her.

The redhead mumbled disgruntledly under her breath and rubbed her throbbing crown, reluctantly blinking heavy eyes open.

It took a while before her gaze slowly sharpened, and she studied him in groggy silence.

"…Don't tell me that you've been sitting there like a block of wood frowning the whole time," she mumbled in bewilderment, voice faintly husky from sleep. "Aren't you tired? Go take a nap or something. You're turning greyer by the second."

It was embarrassing to say 'I'm so carsick I'm just one pothole away from hurling' when she had been busy sawing logs not a few moments ago.

"…I'll rest when we arrive at our lodgings."

She did not buy his attempt at subterfuge.

"Geeze, you're still as fussy as ever." Before he could defend himself and mutter that who in their right mind would be sleeping at a time and place this, she continued. "Luckily for you I've got something that should help."

She turned towards the back of the jeep and started to rummage about until she found just the thing that she was looking for. Then she triumphantly fished out the travel pillow and lobbed it at him. He caught it automatically.

"Put it on around your neck. Lean back. Close your eyes. Count sheep or something. But get some rest already. You aren't gonna last for long out here if you're fretting about every little thing."

Eishi stared at the pillow on his hands. The material was soft and felt comfortably plush and luxurious. Well, luxurious compared to their current surroundings, at the very least.

"This is…yours?" he asked.

"Yep. It's still new. And clean," she added, well aware of his nitpicky nature.

"That's not-"

She waved her hand and cut him off before he could finish. She was still sleepy, and her eyes were closing again, as she curled up in her corner once more. "There's still a few hours to go. We'll get there when we get there. Don't worry- I'll keep you safe."

The strangest expression crept across Eishi's face at her mumbled reassurance, but Rindou had turned her face towards the window already, settling back into her doze, and hence completely missed his chagrin.

"…That's…not what I want to hear from you," he muttered under his breath. Never mind that it had been years since they last interacted like that…but apparently she still thought that he was someone who required to be protected.

" _Psst_. Tsukasa-san."

He shifted his gaze and saw Renata gesturing at him. Bernard grinned at him through the rear view mirror. Quietly, curiously, he leaned forward.

"That Rindou-san; everything will be fine after a nap if you take her word for it. Would you like some Dramamine instead? I've got a pack with me. They'll settle your nausea."

"…I'd be most grateful."

The small Venezuelan woman handed him the blister pack of pills, and Eishi popped out a couple of the tablets and washed them down with some bottled water.

" _Now_ you take a nap, then you'll feel better for sure!" Bernard stage whispered. Eishi was still a bit bemused by all this open, unbiased friendliness towards him…but he was far from repulsed.

He could see why Rindou was so happy amongst these people; their warmth was nice.

* * *

The place where they eventually stopped to pick up supplies was just an unassuming little place in the middle of nowhere…but there was a surprisingly brisk amount of traffic dropping by this ragged and shabby warehouse that was being manned by what seemed like a wizened old man pottering about the front with a few of his bored looking adult children. There were even a few little kids running about the front playing with a scruffy looking dog with a wagging tail, presumably the grandchildren and the family pet.

The old man with the wrinkled face, browned with age and balding, leathered skin littered with liver spots and what was left of his teeth stained from a lifetime of chewing tobacco, scowled when he saw his next customers.

"Not you lot again," he muttered, grumbling as his aged eyes set upon Bernard's distinctive, bear-like figure. Much to the old man's dismay, his displeased glower did nothing to deter the overly friendly, lumbering giant from striding over and picking him up in a bone crushing hug. Eishi tried not to feel bad for the tiny elder; he was sure that he could hear those old bones creaking ominously under that tremendous pressure as the exasperated latter hung limply in the German's embrace.

"Edwaldo," Bernard boomed loudly and happily, reminding Eishi somewhat of a boisterous Leonberger pouncing on an annoyed Chihuahua. "How are you, my friend?!"

"I'm old, not deaf," the now identified Edwaldo snapped back cantankerously. "And I'm not your friend. Put me down, you idiotic white man. Down, I say!"

Just a few paces away, Eishi was staring at the scene with a tinge of confused concern. Rindou, who sauntered up beside him, snickered with amusement at the antics of the two men. Renata was grinning as well, and she shrugged when she saw Eishi's expression.

"Don't worry; they're always like that."

Bernard finally set the frail old man down amidst a lot of disgruntled scolding. "Come on, Edwaldo! How long have we known each other already? We're practically an old married couple!"

The elder scowled even harder. "I'd rather be married to a poisonous toad," he grumped. "Nothing but a bunch'a shit stirrers."

"Don't be like that, Mister Edwaldo," Renata piped up as well. "We're always very grateful for your help. Thank you, always, for carrying on with Mama Maria's work."

The mention of the man's dead wife caused him to relent, just a bit.

"That Maria has only caused nothing but trouble for me since the first day we met," he muttered, still looking visibly aggrieved. "Figures that _after_ she decided to kick the bucket, she's still giving me headaches."

Despite the acrimonious nature of his harsh words, his voice was soft, gruff. Even though his wife had been gone for nigh on five years now, it was apparent that she was still mourned and greatly missed.

"Alex." Edwaldo barked.

A young man with dark, tanned skin stepped forth. "Yes, _papai_?"

"Give them what they want so that they'd go away faster."

"On it." The lanky man disappeared into the shadowed depths of the dilapidated-looking warehouse, while the others milling around the compound resumed going about with their tasks.

Bernard smiled faintly behind his bushy beard. "Thank you, Edwaldo; you're a saint."

"Don't thank me. I don't do this for free. I expect payment delivered at the usual time and place," the elder muttered, frowning.

"You know we always pay our dues, Edwaldo-san," Rindou commented. "Did you enjoy the case of wild harvested lingzhi that we sent you as well the last time? Renata brought them back from the mountains of Shangri-La and they've got amazing health properties."

"What? Are you talking about that crate of dusty wood shavings? Looked like a pile of kindling to me."

Renata was trying not to look horrified by that dismissive response. Rindou was trying not to laugh. Eishi , who had no idea of the backstory, at least knew enough about the lingzhi, or the reishi mushroom, to also recall that it was a very valuable, precious medicinal herb. Some of the wild variants in particular were so rare that they could fetch exorbitant prices on the auction markets. As such, he could appreciate Renata's dismay.

"Did you throw them away, Edwaldo-san?" The redhead beside him asked.

"Of course not," the old man scoffed. "Knowing the nature of your operations, I'm not stupid enough to think that you'd freight over a whole lotta trash to me."

Renata hurried over to Bernard and Edwaldo. "I knew that I forgot something when I sent those over! Let me tell you what you can do with those-"

Bernard was also happy to join the discussion.

"We'll make sure you live a long and healthy life, eh, Edwaldo!"

"Don't tell me how to live my life-"

While the trio were preoccupied in the impromptu conversation (willingly or otherwise), Eishi turned to the amused woman beside her.

"What does he mean by 'nature of your operations?'" he asked. He was already starting to slowly piece together a clearer picture but wanted to hear the confirmation directly from her. "What exactly is it that you all do?"

She shrugged.

"Like I already said, it's nothing illegal, if you're still worried about that. It just gets a bit dangerous sometimes, is all, since most of our work are carried out in remote, difficult to access parts of the world. And every now and then we meet disagreeable people who may be violently against our work."

Eishi was faintly exasperated. "Will you just tell me what's going on? Or should I tell you what I think?"

She seemed intrigued and amused. "Go on, then."

"…A while ago, you mentioned that you find precious things that people seek. You and your teammates travel all over the world for work, and from your conversations, it appears that you search for and gather highly rare and valuable raw resources for your clientele, whom I assume belongs to the culinary field or somewhere equivalent due to the exotic but perishable goods that you supply. It explains why you're still in touch with many of our colleagues despite not working in a professional kitchen yourself or directly involved in any other part of the restaurateur business – you sit at the top of that chain," he summarized succinctly, still gazing at her calmly.

"Am I right?"

Rindou was smirking faintly. "…Something like that. You're as sharp as ever, Tsukasa."

She didn't seem entirely surprised by his astute observations, either.

"…Why not me too?" he asked next. "Why didn't you come to look for me as well, but only the others?"

Her smile faded a bit at his quietly insistent question. Rindou was also trying not to grimace. Of course Tsukasa would pounce on any opportunity to confront that giant white elephant in the room. For someone who used to be quite passive (when it came to things non-related to cooking), he sure was being a lot more aggressive than she was used to, now.

"I didn't think that it would be a good idea."

"Why not?" he asked again, and his lavender eyes were sharp.

 _Because I couldn't forgive myself. Because I don't deserve to be your friend._

She shrugged. "I had other things to deal with. I know it may be hard for you to believe sometimes, Tsukasa…but not everything I do revolve around you anymore."

He was struck silent by her casual dismissal. The stricken look that briefly crossed his face must have been very obvious to her, for she stiffemed. Even now, he _still_ had the ability to shake her emotions so effortlessly. "Oh no, you _don't_ ," she muttered under her breath, glowering at him. "Stop that. You're not going to do this to me again. You're _not_ giving me tunnel vision again."

His mouth fell open at her disgruntled _hiss_. "Wha-"

 _Was she kidding?_ Who was giving who tunnel vision again, all this time?

He was determined to square it with her right here and now – had she any idea how deeply she had affected him with her actions?

"By the way, who is that guy? I've never seen him with you lot before," Edwaldo interjected, pointing suspiciously at Eishi as if he had just noticed the latter. Around these parts, new faces were more often than not regarded with wariness and distrust.

Rindou was more than happy to jump at the change in subject, much to Eishi's rising annoyance. She was evading, _again_.

"Oh, him? He's the newbie," the redhead replied blithely, gesturing to the white-haired man beside her with a nonchalant jerk of her thumb.

"He's somewhat decent at cooking, I guess, so he's gonna be in charge of making food for us on this trip."

* * *

 _::owari::_

* * *

 **Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:**

And Bernard (also Edwaldo plus family) make their appearance!

 **xXxXxXxXxX**

'knuddelmaus' means 'cuddle mouse,' and 'schatzi' means 'little treasure' in German. I suppose if one is as tall and large as Bernard, everyone else probably looks small and cute from that POV, haha.

 **xXxXxXxXxX**

Your reviews make me update faster; so please leave a comment if you like this fic!

-sllebswap


	8. Chapter 8

**Title:** Lost and Found

 **Author:** sllebswap

 **Characters/Pairing:** Kobayashi Rindou and Tsukasa Eishi

 **Type:** Continuous (InComplete)

 **Genre:** Romance/General

 **Word Count:** 4395

 **Rating:** T (Contains content not suitable for children)

 **Disclaimer:** Shokugeki no Souma belongs to Tsukuda-san.

 **Summary:** Loss was like this. It was her stricken face, echoing in his mind. Her anguish, spearing through his chest. The memory of her, breaking in his arms.

 **Verse:** Canon Divergent AU

 **Chapter Last Revised on:** 09/12/18

* * *

 **what lovers do**

* * *

They were on the road again.

Eishi was trying not to look too puzzled since the only thing that they had gotten from that visit with Edwaldo was a folder of papers that Renata had accepted and tucked away discreetly.

"I thought that we were picking up supplies?" he asked Rindou at last, when his curiosity could not be contained any longer. The redhead beside him shrugged.

"We did! The supplies will follow behind us on a slightly later flight. No worries; Edwaldo and his family are very efficient when it comes to arranging this kinda thing."

His brow furrowed. "Do we get to choose the type of supplies that will be sent over?"

Since he had been unceremoniously appointed to be the cook and thus in charge of meeting everyone's dietary requirements, he was already thinking of what to make. He had no idea what would be available to use though, which was vaguely irritating for someone like him who was accustomed to having an extensive list of ingredients at his fingertips. This would be the first time in many years that he would be cooking for Rindou; he was determined to make it an unforgettable experience.

Rindou looked amused by his question. "No, we don't. You can expect very basic things like oil, salt, sugar and _maybe_ instant coffee, if we're lucky. We'll be hunting wild game for meat, and fruits and vegetables will have to be gathered from the forest too, if available."

Eishi paused at the information, trying not to look _too_ dismayed.

… _They had to hunt for and gather their own food? In the middle of a rainforest filled with all sorts of dangerous wild things?_

His apprehensive expression must have shown for she smirked faintly. "Sorry, Mr. Michelin Three Star Chef. You won't be finding world class facilities and effortlessly perfect ingredients here…at least not without putting in a lot of hard work first in order to earn them~" she singsonged gaily. "It's still not too late to cut your losses and turn back now, ya know."

His slight hesitation was quick to disappear as his pride was pricked by her light taunt. "I'm up to your challenge," he retorted with stoic resolve. "You won't scare me off so easily, Rindou."

Her grin faded a little, and she just looked speculatively at him, lips pursing a little like she was still struggling to figure him out, even after all this time. His gaze followed the slight pout of her mouth and lingered there. He wasn't even trying to hide the fact that he was staring…which _confused_ her.

There was that tension rising steadily between them again, and she frowned, not liking how oddly skittish and aware of him that made her feel. She tore her eyes away, fixing her attention on the passing scenery outside.

"Just don't say that I didn't warn you when you're faced with the stark reality of your new situation later."

She settled into her seat, got comfortable, and looked like she was getting ready to…nap. _Again_.

Eishi was _not_ happy. For god's sake, was she a hibernating bear? How much sleep did one woman need? Or was she just avoiding him…?

He changed the subject and seized her attention again before the conversation could lapse into silence.

"…What was in that folder that Edwaldo-san gave to Renata-san?"

She shrugged, but did not look surprised by his question. A quick glance at the two in front revealed Bernard to be driving them to their next destination and Renata poring over said folder of papers.

"It's information," the redhead replied. "It's not just supplies that Edwardo-san and his family sells. They trade information sometimes too, and they've a wide network of supply routes that stretches all across the Amazon which makes it very convenient for them to be our secret eyes and ears."

"That's right," Renata quipped as well from the front. "Edwaldo and his family are invaluable when it comes to intel. They won't have anything to do with the drug cartels and the trafficking rings, but they can be convinced to help us out every now and then."

"What kind of intel are you talking about?"

Rindou sat up with interest as well, leaning forward to fill the gap between the front seats, unintentionally squeezing closer beside Eishi in order to do so.

Renata exchanged a quick, telling glance with her female teammate.

"With luck, I think we may have just found the hidden hideout of our troublemaking poacher friends…" The small, dark haired woman frowned thoughtfully at the intriguing coordinates that Edwaldo had provided. "Or at least the general location of where to start looking… _hm_."

Bernard hooted. "Most excellent! We're officially in business to beat ass and copy names!"

Renata was amused by the man's enthusiasm. "No, Bernard. It's 'kick ass and take names.' And let's try not to do that first until we really have no choice."

"Boo, Renata!" Rindou was quick to chime in. "I'm all for kickin' ass! We don't negotiate with poachers _ever_ , remember? They never keep their promises and they always escalate their activities once they think that they can get away with it."

Eishi was a bit alarmed by the discussion.

"Wait; what exactly does 'kicking ass' entails?" he demanded to know, cutting in as well. "Who is kicking whose ass?"

Rindou distractedly petted his knee in a way that made him still and _stare_ at her. "Don't worry your pretty white head so much, Tsukasa," she remarked. "You'll only be in charge of cooking so you'll be very safe and secured at the campsite."

He slowly switched his attention from her hand (which was still petting him) to her face. He was also starting to scowl. "That's not what I'm concerned about. You've to fight poachers? Really? _Why_ do you have to fight poachers? Aren't there anyone else more qualified to do that sort of thing-"

She scowled back at him, beginning to look offended by the slew of doubting questions coming from him. "Oi! What is that supposed to mean? I'll have you know I'm very good at what I do, excuse me-!"

"What about the police?" he continued to ask over her indignation. "Isn't this problem their responsibility?"

This time, all the other three in the jeep scoffed.

"We wouldn't have to do this if the efforts of the local law enforcement were enough, Tsukasa-san," Renata responded with good-natured patience. "There are hidden pockets all over the Amazon that are hard to police, mainly due to inaccessibility and remoteness, partly also due to insufficient manpower, sometimes also due to thorny, complicated issues tied with power corruption. We usually try not to intercede unless we really have to, in order to protect our interests as well as those whom we partner with."

The petite Venezuelan turned her head to look at him. The corners of her brown eyes crinkled as she smiled reassuringly. "If it makes you feel any better, we're not the ones who usually deal directly with the threat of poachers. We've a head of security on the team as well, and he is very experienced and professional when it comes to handling problems like these."

Rindou, who was now no longer petting him but more like irritably _jabbing_ at him with her index finger, continued. "Are you underestimating us too much, Tsukasa? We're trained in self-defense and proper response to dangerous situations too, FYI."

She would have kept poking him too but he grabbed her hand before she could continue doing so. She instinctively tried to pull away but he held firm. She stared down at their joined appendages in astonishment. She tugged again but he wasn't budging. If anything, he tightened his fingers around hers.

She lifted her head and stared at him, silently incredulous. _What are you doing_ , she seemed to be asking wordlessly. He ignored her, or at least he tried to until she decided that he was testing her boast and deftly twisted out of his hold, breaking free. Then, quick as a viper, she leaned in, grabbed his wrist and pinned his arm up against his chest, using her weight and momentum to push him back in his seat, all in rapid succession. She cackled at his surprise, gloating in victory.

"See, told ya!"

Eishi stared at the beautiful redhead piled half on top of him. His eyes slowly darkened.

" _Kinder_! Stop fighting back there or I'm gonna twirl this car around!" Bernard called out with an indecent level of cheeriness. Renata was too busy muffling her startled laugh to correct him.

Eishi slowly, reluctantly, nudged Rindou off. She released him and plopped back on the seat beside him, still snickering a bit.

"You must be really hungry to be so grumpy," she declared. She turned to the front, popping her head in between her amused colleagues. "Let's feed this man properly before sending him off to the jungle to suffer. I think that's fair, yeh?"

" _Ja_ , _genau_! Food is what drives all of us! We'll feed Tsukasa well before sending him off into the wilderness! Who knows when'd be the next time he'd get to see civilization again, eh? Tsukasa, have you said your goodbyes to your mama and your papa? Kissed your wife properly before you came all the way out here?"

Eishi immediately had something to say to that.

Funnily enough, so did Rindou.

"I'm not married."

"He's not married!"

The white-haired man turned his head to stare at the woman beside him. She looked equally surprised by her own outburst…and then bewilderedly flustered. "I-I mean! He told me so himself!"

Renata was trying not to laugh again at the redhead's ruffled, passionate response. This was pretty amazing.

Eishi was still staring at Rindou, and at first she did her best to pretend to ignore him, but then she got offended by her own cowardly reaction so she turned her head and boldly stared back at him.

"What?" she demanded under her breath. "Why do you keep staring at me like _that_?"

He leaned subtly toward her too. " _Why_ do you keep staring back?"

She blinked, disconcerted by his pointed question. The urge to avert her gaze grew, but she did not give into that impulse. She shook her head slowly and changed the subject.

"'Kay, new rule. Let's just agree _not_ to stare at each other like a pair of blithering idiots, then. Problem solved!"

"No," he refuted before she could start to celebrate her great decision-making skills.

She paused and squinted at him in disbelief. _No?_

"…No?" she repeated dangerously. Ooh, he was frustrating. "Why not?"

"Because I like staring at you."

Her mouth fell open at his blunt, quiet admission. What was he saying?

" _What_?"

He looked patiently, placidly at her. He has had _years_ to come to terms with his feelings. He wasn't about to start playing the denial game now. There was half a decade's worth of lost time to catch up on.

"You-You're still getting back at me now for leaving you high and dry back then, aren't you?" she spluttered in suspicious disbelief. For someone who was always the aggressor, it was throwing her for a loop now that the roles seemed to have switched around. In the past, it was always her, forever chasing after him. Now he had suddenly become the pursuer and she was just so very perplexed because how on earth was she supposed to deal with him? And _why_ was he hounding her this doggedly?

 _Isn't it because he's sweet on you?_ Renata and Bernard were pretty much thinking along that line.

She was so committed to deliberately misunderstanding him, much to Eishi's chagrin and exasperation. But if she thought that her oblivious act would be enough to keep him at bay, then she was in for a rude awakening. There was nothing to do but to _make_ her confront his intentions. The Tsukasa Eishi in the past would have been too flustered and awkwardly self-conscious to pull off such a bold thing, but the Tsukasa Eishi of the present was desperate and had little to lose and everything to gain.

"…No, Rindou. I'm getting us back on track to where we left off five years ago."

* * *

The restaurant that Bernard had brought them to – if it could even be called a restaurant – was situated by the very edge of a muddy, fast flowing river plain. The entire establishment was quite literally built on flimsy looking wooden stilts staked deeply into the soft, sifting mudbanks, and the small ramshackle building looked to be cobbled together by nothing more than rickety old planks, rusty tin shingles, dull, crooked nails and sheer determination.

There were no other patrons at the small eatery when they arrived, but the owner greeted Bernard like an old friend and ushered the group over to the best table in the house. Eishi was vaguely discomfited when he realized that meant they were seated on the furthest edge of the open-air restaurant, directly above the dull roar of the frothing river…with nothing but creaky pieces of aged wood keeping them away from a certain watery grave.

It seemed like he was the only one somewhat leery about the safety aspects of this unstable architecture, however. The rest of the group were quite happy where they were and looking forward to a delicious meal. Rindou scooted unhesitatingly onto the seat by the wooden rails and Eishi casually slipped in beside her before the others could be wiser.

While they were waiting for their orders to arrive, Rindou turned to her white-haired companion, frowning a bit as she blurted out her question.

"Are you _really_ sure it's okay for you to be here while you leave Chateau unattended?" she asked.

He turned to her as well. And then he shrugged. She looked at him weirdly.

"Chateau will be fine even without me there," he replied.

Her response was to reach up and slap her palm over his forehead.

"Do you have fever?" she demanded. But no, his temperature was _normal_? She looked even more puzzled.

He sent her a vaguely annoyed look before he reached up as well and took her hand, removing it from his face.

"Aren't you worried?" she asked. "I thought you'd be super anxious to leave your precious restaurant unattended indefinitely like that. Okay; who are you and what have you done to the real Tsukasa Eishi?"

"I haven't rested ever since I opened Chateau, so it's about time I took a break," he retorted. "I've capable assistants and I…trust them to uphold my standards."

He practically had to push the words out of his mouth, and she was hard pressed not to roll her eyes at his reluctance. He was still the same worrywart after all these years, despite his best attempt to portray otherwise.

"Why haven't you taken a break at all?" she asked, incredulous. "Wait; didn't you open Chateau, a good two years ago? No rest _at all_? No wonder you look overworked and half dead."

His irritation grew slightly. "I don't look _that_ bad," he defended self-consciously. He wanted to be more annoyed but could not help also feeling secretly pleased because she had paid attention to his career even during all this time apart.

She brought her face closer to his and studied him critically. He stared at her. _Her eyes were so pretty when they were dancing like that_ , he thought, unwittingly charmed.

"You actually do. All work and no play make Tsukasa a dull, boring boy~" she teased and pulled away. His fingers twitched, as if fighting the urge to take after her. He clenched his hand together instead and stared down at his fist, bewildered by his own appalling lack of control.

They were served lukewarm water from grimy looking plastic cups, and the utensils that followed were made of thin, flimsy metal that bent easily. The plates were made of cheap plastic too; scratched, worn out and faded from repetitive use. Eishi looked at the humble table setting, not too sure what to make of the whole thing. Rindou took one glance at his baffled expression and huffed.

"O ye of little faith, have more trust in us, will ya? Don't judge a book by its cover; haven't you heard of that saying?"

Renata smiled. "Yes, Tsukasa-san, don't be fooled by appearances. Ricardo and Nayara are quite well known around these parts for their delicious food."

Bernard piped in as well.

"So, Tsukasa, the girls told me that you're a chef too, eh, and a very famous one at that."

Rindou nodded her head. "Yep, he sure is!" she chirped, sounding very smug of that fact too. Eishi stared at her again, trying not to think too deeply into _why_ she seemed so proud then. "He's one of those hoity toity, twinkle toes type that you always complain 'bout with the itty bitty, pretty tweety bird servings that's never enough to satisfy your stomach~"

…that inordinately pleased feeling he got earlier? Deflating very quickly by the second.

Bernard looked comically alarmed.

" _Ahem_ , you're not really gonna be serving that kind of cuisine here, are you? Because you'll have the entire camp up in arms if you do, Tsukasa! Not that I doubt your ability, I'm sure you're very good at what you do…but we working men need more, uh, hearty meals."

Despite his chagrin at Rindou's summary of his cooking style, Eishi turned and looked very seriously at the large German.

"…I'll keep the dietary requirements and activity levels of the team in mind when I prepare your meals," he promised solemnly. He was also trying his best not to feel insulted by their collective lack of faith in his ability to anticipate and cater to the needs of the people whom he would be cooking for.

Rindou was grinning calmly at him, elbows resting on the table, her chin propped on her palms, looking mischievously as though she knew _exactly_ what he was thinking about and was very merrily amused that he was in this position. She was just getting back at him, wasn't it. Her gold slit gaze grew even more mirthful as she watched the realization occur in his eyes. She winked.

He paused again, looking briefly stunned by her enchanting playfulness…as well as his own immediate, strong attraction to her. It was as if he had just been punched straight in the gut.

A fierce, hard jolt of _yearning_ shot through him…inevitably followed by the jarring, harsh bite of loneliness that never failed to creep up whenever he thought of her. He stiffened at the bitter memory of that painful, desolate _ache_ , and could not help but feel a festering unhappiness welling in him, all over again. It was resentment, _maybe_ , a futile sense of impotent anger that had kept tightly balled up in him for so long, and now there was finally an outlet for his grief in the form of _her_.

The object of his desire…and his misery.

It was…confusing.

She looked vaguely puzzled when he suddenly averted his gaze.

He was saved from having to explain his peculiar reaction by the timely arrival of their meal.

The eatery was a small family business run by a husband and wife pair. The wife, Nayara, was the cook, whereas her husband, Ricardo, served the customers and kept operations running as tidily and smoothly as possible. Neither knew a word of English, but both Renata and Bernard were able to communicate easily with the friendly couple in Portuguese. There was a quick smattering of words as the man spoke happily with their teammates after he placed the first dish on the table.

Eishi had no idea what was being said, but then again, food was a universal language that required no translation.

The piscean dish sitting before him was a bright, colorful offering, presented in its full glory on a humble, unpretentious plate with no attempt at fancy fine dining presentation whatsoever. It simply did not need that sort of pomp and unnecessary frill. Generous strips of julienned purple onions, red tomatoes, orange carrots and yellow bell peppers vibrantly decorated the river fish which had been first rubbed down with aromatic herbs and then lightly pan fried with a lemon and garlic paste, before being seasoned and braised in an acidic, spicy marinade. The sauce was a fiery orange from the spices; a puree of hot peppers, cumin and oregano with saffron and smoked paprika, cleverly tempering the underlying tartness of the white wine vinegar and savory broth used to bind this exotic marriage of sour and spicy together. The entire ensemble was then cooled down to room temperature, transferred to a refrigerator and pickled overnight, to allow the flavors to fully develop.

His mouth was already watering from the tangy, appetite whetting aroma of the dish…even as he was also starting to sweat from the promised heat that it would pack.

"…What's the name of this dish?" he asked, and Rindou was more than happy to share.

"It's called Escabeche~! The fish is surubim; it's a freshwater catfish that's quite commonly found in these parts."

They were also served Brazilian rice; fragrant, long-grain Basmati that was quite different from the shorter Japonica variants from back home. Unlike risotto, the rice was meant to be loose and fluffy, the raw grains first sautéed in a saucepan with vegetable oil, minced garlic and onion until translucent, before lightly salted and covered in boiling water and simmered down to white, starchy perfection. The plates of rice also came with a side of braised garden vegetables and a small peculiar mound of rough, flour-like mixture that looked like dirty sand, piled to the side. The white-haired man curiously took a bit of it with his spoon and touched it to his tongue to taste. His eyes widened slightly with pleasant surprise at the flavorful, intriguingly crunchy texture.

"That's farofa," Renata answered his unasked question rather helpfully, at the same time thoroughly mixing her share into her rice. The others did the same thing, as well.

"It's a toasted cassava flour mixture. Can you guess what's been tossed in there, Tsukasa-san?"

"…I taste butter. Onions. Scallions. Garlic. Black pepper-" His brow creased. "…Sausage crisps?"

Rindou snickered. "Every household makes their farofa differently here. But that's what's so fun about it. Adds an element of delicious surprise no matter where you go."

The redhead expertly cut up the fish dish and served everyone their shares. A soup course came next, served in ceramic bowls and so boilingly hot, dense clouds of steam could be seen continuously pouring out of the individual servings.

Eishi took a whiff of his portion and tried not to recoil at the peppery, spicy aroma. His eyes threatened to water.

"…What's this?" he choked through the fumes. He could see jumbo shrimps, an unholy amount of sliced peppers, and some kind of unidentified dark green leafy vegetables suspended in the hearty, golden broth. Something told him that this was not going to be easy to swallow.

Bernard unhesitatingly picked up the piping hot bowl between his large hands and took a deep slurp of the soup…straight from the rim. The German's tanned features were already starting to redden from the tropical noon heat as well as the spicy broth. He set the bowl back down and picked up a paper napkin to mop at his sweating brow, grinning widely.

" _Ach_ , _köstlich,_ " he praised. "This is Tacacá. It's my favorite thing in this country. Be warned; Nayara always puts in a generous amount of jambu. Don't be too alarmed when your lips and mouth starts to go numb – it's perfectly normal."

The look on Tsukasa's face was priceless. Rindou was trying her best not to laugh at his alarmed expression.

"Don't worry, it'll wear off with no adverse effects. The jambu plant has some anesthetic properties, but it's not a hallucinogen or psychoactive." She grinned again. "Promise not to get you high as a kite on your first day here, Tsukasa."

That was as good an assurance as he was ever going to get from her. He dipped his spoon into the bowl and sampled a mouthful before he could let himself think any better.

The soup was a powerful explosion of flavors; spicy, salty and sour, _overwhelmingly_ so. The heat was also out of this world. Eishi stilled and shut his eyes, already breaking out in profuse perspiration. It was stinging and his mouth quickly felt like it was on fire. It was a challenge not to gulp the soup down…and when he finally did, it burned all the way to the pit of his stomach. Without hesitation, Eishi sipped another mouthful of the tacacá, this time slowly and in a smaller amount. It was still spicy, almost unbearably so, but this time he could taste the briny sweetness from the shrimps, the herbal hint of basil, the slight citrusy tang of the paracress. Together with the unique flavor and the peculiarly gluey texture of the tapioca starch and chicory, it was a sensory combination that he had never experienced before.

Most of the ingredients were also purely unique to this region, and foreign enough that they sparked his curiosity, that endlessly hungry, epicurean side of him that was always seeking to refine and push his limits when it came to cooking.

It also didn't take long before the slight, aforementioned tingling sensation started upon his tongue, lips, and even the insides of his cheeks, partially numbing his taste buds from the tangy spiciness. He must have looked disconcerted, for Rindou poked him and gestured to his plate.

"You should try the rest before your sense of taste gets distorted even more~" she advised, popping a spoonful of the farofa accentuated rice into her mouth, together with a tender, meaty portion of the succulent, tasty fish. The others tucked in as well, but Eishi only had eyes for one. The redhead ate blissfully and with gusto, just like how he remembered her back when they were still in Tootsuki. His gaze softened, watching her happy contentment, letting this image wash away that bleak, painful memory of her all those years ago, desolate and falling to pieces in his arms.

…If he could keep her this happy as well, then maybe-

 _Maybe_ this time, she would stay.

* * *

 _::owari::_

* * *

 **Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:**

I made myself hungry researching food for this chapter! Also, my comprehension of German is almost non-existent at best so I apologize if Bernard was spouting some very strange phrases, haha.

Next chapter; we finally make it into the jungle~!

 **xXxXxXxXxX**

Your reviews make me update faster; so please leave a comment if you like this fic!

-sllebswap


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